Asked First Minister about closure of HSBC bank in Llanidloes yesterday. From the Record (Russell George) You will, perhaps, be aware of HSBC’s recent announcement of a branch closure in Llanidloes. I met with senior bank officials yesterday to discuss a range of issues, including the rationale for closing the branch. There is a growing awareness that groups in rural areas in particular across Wales are becoming ever-more excluded from banking services because they lack access to banking facilities that are widespread in the rest of society. Do you agree that banks have a social responsibility to think extremely carefully about any proposed closures and their impact? What facilities and services access mapping does the Welsh Government undertake to ensure that these key services are monitored? (Carwyn Jones, The First Minister) The Member is absolutely right to say that banks have a social responsibility, even more so now than ever. HSBC is not, perhaps, in the same category as some of the other banks. However, it is right to say that a huge amount of faith has been lost in banks since the events of 9 August 2007. Strangely, I think that there may well be a reverse trend occurring. Banks like Handelsbanken are moving more toward branch-based provision and are devolving more power to branch managers, something that has gone the other way in the last few years. I suspect that we will see more branches opening in years to come, but that is of no consolation to the people of Llanidloes at the moment. Of course, credit unions can fill some of the gap that has been left by the banks. I am aware that, not last week, Hafren Credit Union opened a new office in Newtown. It is important that, where people can no longer access financial services through the commercial banks, they are able to access services—although the new service is clearly in Newtown and not Llanidloes—in other ways so that they do not fall prey to loan sharks.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Jul 2013 19:15:27 +0000
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