HSBC is shutting 114 banks next year, including three Bristol branches, the firm confirmed today.
The bank said the closures are due to fewer people using physical branches to do their banking.
The number of people visiting an HSBC has fallen by 65% in five years, the firm said.
The HSBC Downend branch will close in April next year followed by the Filton branch in May and Westbury on Trym later in the summer – in August 2023 – with dozens of jobs at risk.
Responding to the news, Metro Mayor Dan Norris stressed the need for guaranteed in-person banking across the city. Since 2015, nearly half of the UK’s bank branches have closed.
Mr Norris is backing the Labour Party’s proposal to ensure communities have regular access to “essential” in-person services like opening new accounts or applying for loans. He said: “This is concerning news. The announcement that HSBC’s Downend, Filton and Westbury on Trym branches will close next year will come as a big blow to locals, and particularly grates when the company have just announced bumper quarterly profits. It’s inevitable that banks and banking systems will continue to move with the times and innovate and change, but the Tories’ failure to protect these services risks cutting off thousands from essential goods and services, particularly those poorer and older residents who rely on face-to-face services more than others. I hope ministers do the right thing and back Labour’s proposal to protect these vital services which so many Bristolians depend on”.
Labour has put forward an amendment to the financial services and markets bill which would give city regulators the power to ensure communities have regular access to in-person services.