Petition launched to fight Lower Gornal bank closure

Concerned Gornal councillor Dave Branwood has launched a campaign urging Barclays to rethink the closure of the Zoar Street branch, which he said many residents rely on.

But the bank said that a decline in customers coming through the door has sparked the October 9 closure as more than half of its customers are already regularly using alternative branches.

Cllr Branwood has teamed up with Dudley North MP Ian Austin to fight the decision and an online petition is already attracting signatures from worried residents.

He said: "This is really sad news for the people of Gornal who have relied upon this facility for many years. Many people will find it difficult to travel to another, especially if they don't drive.

“I have been working hard with traders and residents to make sure the village is as good as it can be. “I really don’t want to see the bank standing empty, Gornal is a thriving village."

In addition to the petition, Cllr Branwood is writing to John McFarlane, chairman of Barclays Bank, to ask him to save the branch and is encouraging local businesses and residents to do the same.

However the councillor faces an uphill battle as the bank's community leader for the Black Country Raj Dhaliwal, told the News the "difficult decision" was not taken lightly.

He continued: "The way customers undertake their banking is changing as people increasingly use online, telephone and mobile devices.

"We must therefore evolve the shape and size of our branch network in response to changing customer behaviour.

“We hope that the availability of nearby branches, access to services at the local Post Office and our range of digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers."

The bank would not disclose how many employees work at the branch but said they were being consulted about the change and given the opportunity to work at a nearby branch.

To sign the petition, visit www.ianaustin.co.uk/save_our_bank.