With the doors set to close on its Market Place branch in Wokingham tomorrow (Friday), Barclays Bank has confirmed it will be offering its customers some assistance on four days per week from another town centre location.
Sir John Redwood, MP, had written to the bank to urge them to consider the concerns and needs of local customers.
He shared a letter from Barclays, and said: “I have received a follow up to the exchanges I had with Barclays about closing its Wokingham branch.
“I am pleased to see there will be assistance available for local Barclays customers in the Bradbury Centre four days a week, close to where the old branch was.”
A spokesperson for Barclays said: “From Tuesday August 22, I’m pleased to confirm that Barclays colleagues will be available at the Bradbury Centre, Rose Street, Wokingham on a Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday between 9.30am and 12.30pm and between 1pm and 3.30pm, offering face-to-face financial support and education for customers, without the need for them to travel.
“Customers visiting us at the Bradbury Centre will be able to access a range of services, including assistance with everyday finances and money management, free digital skills workshops and fraud and scams awareness events for the community.”
Customers wishing to conduct everyday banking transactions, such as cash deposits and withdrawals, will need to complete these at a local Post Office.
Julia Husband, head of corporate relations south west for Barclays, added: “Barclays is committed to deploying a range of more flexible ways that customers can physically interact with the bank. This now includes more than 250 pop-up banking sites located in town and city centres, plus presence in spaces such as community centres, libraries, and business hubs where it offers drop in and pre-booked appointments, along with the support of our Barclays van.”
The bank had previously said the closure, which was announced in May, is a result of changes to customer habits, noting that just 10% of transactions take place inside a branch.
