Lloyds Bank campaign goes to the top
The Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Wellington and Taunton has “doorstepped” the Chief Executive of Lloyds Banking Group PLC, Charlie Nunn, asking him to personally intervene to save Wellington’s Fore Street bank and put it to use as the proposed new Banking Hub and Post Office for the town.
In a letter hand delivered to Mr Nunn’s office at the bank’s Gresham Street head office in the City of London, Gideon Amos and Cllr Ross Henley ask the Bank’s chief executive “to urgently personally intervene in the proposed loss of the last bank in Wellington”.
They called for action “in order to avoid the loss of a significant heritage asset” and in particular urge him “to offer material support to the proposed Banking Hub being located in the historic banking premises at 27 Fore Street, which – as Fox Brothers Bank – was the last bank in England to issue its own bank notes”.
The letter added that: “It is bad enough for the town to be losing its last bank – having already lost its Post Office.
“However, the continued use of your branch building for the Banking Hub would provide all necessary services as well as respect Wellington’s proud heritage and that of the Fox family business which shaped the development of the town”.
Mr Amos first called on Lloyds to think again in April and has welcomed the delay of the proposed closure of the bank until March next year to give time for a Banking Hub to be set up.
Last month Lloyds’ head office responded to Mr Amos with a statement that “when we announced our closure, we shared our branch details with Cash Access UK who are responsible for delivering recommendations by LINK, in this case a Banking Hub for Wellington, so they are already aware of our building, which is a leasehold property, as a potential site for the Banking Hub. You can contact them for more information on the Hub”.
But Mr Amos told the Wellington Weekly News: “For an organisation worth £27 billion, this statement from Lloyds is incredibly weak, lacking all commitment to actually support the local community to keep its historic building in use as a bank and bring back Post Office services to the town centre which is what we all want to see.
“That’s why I doorstepped the Chief Executive in London with my letter asking them to go further, and for him to give ‘material help to people in Wellington trying to save the building and keep it in the banking use’.
“Unfortunately, he wasn’t free to see me on this occasion but I – and I know many of Wellington’s town councillors – are not giving up!”
Land Registry records obtained by Wellington Liberal Democrats show that the building is leased to “Lloyds Bank Plc for a term starting on 25 June 2021 and ending on 23 June 2026”.
Mr Amos added: “This shows Lloyds has ample opportunity to help support continued use of the building as a Banking Hub and Post Office”.
Cllr Henley and Gideon Amos have also contacted Cash Access UK which is working to set up the Banking Hub.
It told the pair in an email this week that, while a number of factors go into selecting a site, the original “Fox Brothers Fowler & Co Bank” building erected in 1885 on the Fore Street site would be “a popular candidate for the Banking Hub”.