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Co-Op bank in Ashton to close

The Co-Operative Bank have announced they’re set to close their Ashton branch.

It’s part of nationwide cutbacks that will see 350 jobs go and the closure of 18 branches.

The bank say that apart from the branches that are closing, the job losses will come from middle management positions and head office roles.

They say they’ve spoken to affected colleague and are consulting with trade unions on the proposals. The bank will look to redeploy those affected in alternative posts.

Co-operative Bank Chief Executive Andrew Bester said,

“Our people have shown great dedication and commitment to our customers over the past few months, so we are very sorry to announce this news today. Unfortunately, we’re not immune to the impact of recent events, with the historically low base rate affecting the income of all banks and a period of prolonged economic uncertainty ahead, which means it’s important we reduce costs and have the right-sized operating model in place for the future.

“At the same time, we are responding to the continuing shift of more and more customers choosing to bank online, with lower levels of transactions in branches, a trend which has been increasing for some time, across the banking sector and more broadly.

"The Bank is in a resilient position given the significant progress we’ve made in recent years, and our focus is on maintaining this as we continue to support our customers through the crisis. We will do all we can to support colleagues through the process with fairness and respect.”

“The planned branch closures, which are expected to be completed by 1 December 2020, have been selected following careful analysis of individual branch footfall over a 12-month period [January-December 2019] prior to the start of lockdown. The Bank is committed to continuing to provide the high quality service that we know is important to our customers.  We are writing to affected customers to provide information about the alternative options available to them, including Post Office counter services, telephone, online and mobile banking.”

 

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