The bank has announced it will close on May 24, and Councillor Josh Charters of St James Ward has written to MP Debbie Abraham conveying locals’ upset.
“A few people have spoken to me this weekend about Barclays in Oldham closing. I’ve written to Debbie Abrahams asking her to get in touch with Barclays at a national level to protect access to physical banking and cash in Oldham.
"It’s not fair for businesses or people who rely on a physical bank to be expected to travel into the city centre when there’s a perfectly good (and often busy) branch in Oldham town centre,” the Cllr Josh Charters wrote on his social media platforms.
The international bank announced its Oldham town centre branch would close, effective 12pm on Friday, May 24, 2024.
Barclays has given a reason for the closure in a statement: “Back when we opened this branch, visiting us in person was one of the only ways to do your banking. Now, as there are many ways to manage your money without even leaving your home, we see many customers choosing to bank using our app and Online or Telephone Banking.”
They’ve also shared that, at present, only 141 people use this branch as their sole mode of banking.
“94 per cent of people who use our branch have also banked using the app, online and by phone in 2022, and 11 per cent of this branch’s customers have used nearby branches in the last 12 months,” the bank said.
The nearest branches to visit for Barclay’s customers from Oldham will now be Market Street and Mosley Street in Manchester city centre, as the Rochdale branch is also listed for closure in April.
*Info: Barclays
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