A member of the congregation came into the church this morning waving a leaflet she'd been handed as a customer of Lloyd's Bank in the village. The branch is closing on 3rd December. It's a terrible decision which will cause not just 'inconvenience' as the leaflet puts it, but social, economic and environmental damage. Social, because of the considerable proportion of older people and poor residents who will be deprived of banking services in their community, not to mention the school, the church, and the old people's day centre, who all bank with Lloyd's. Economic, because of the many businesses in the parish who use the bank and who now will have less reason to stay in the village. Environmental, because businesses banking cash will now have to go to Hornington, which means more car journeys, more congestion, more pollution. Brilliant.
Lloyd's made £1.6Bn profit last year. It has no justification for closing any branches, let alone Swanvale Halt's. The ordinary people of this village have, through their taxes, saved Lloyd's skin and paid its bosses' bonuses. And our reward is to have our bank, which is so vital for the community, closed. It can't be a commercial decision based on the business activity of the bank; it isn't my personal bank, but my observation that it's always busy is confirmed by what people tell me. Instead it can only be that managers have looked at the map, seen that our branch is barely a mile from Hornington's, and decided that we can do without it.
Well. My first action was to call the Surrey Advertiser and then to circulate the councillors and community activists I know of. If we do end up losing our bank, it won't be for want of shouting in protest.
And what is this to do with the Church? Human beings are made in God's image and are consequently more important than profits. We shall start there.
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Surely you demonstrate that it is not difficult to live without a branch nearby? Indeed, dare I say it, but if people like you chose to bank with whoever has the closest branch, then banks would have an incentive to keep branches open.
ReplyDeletePersonally I don't know why people like branches. Cashpoints are easy to use, and you can post cheques to the bank on the very odd occasion you get one. Tim
Well, as a healthy middle-aged person who isn't self-employed, no, it is no great hardship not to have a bank close by, and though I prefer the bank I've been with for the last twenty years (which went through the recent dislocations quite smoothly), I would have overcome the inertia of changing had I thought it would make a difference. But not everyone is in the happy position of being able to walk or cycle to the next town or catch a bus or taxi without thinking twice about it, like I can. The cashpoint will go too, and small businesses need to get rid of cash. Remove the bank and you remove another reason for businesses to stay; you gradually erode the economic life of this community; and you slowly degrade the quality of life of the people who live here. That's enough reason not to be complacent about it.
ReplyDeleteBut unless healthy middle aged people support their local community bank, it is hard to expect the bank to stay, surely? If in contrast the people of Swanvale Halt all banked with Lloyds, as a way of showing their appreciation, then they would be more likely to do so.
ReplyDeleteWhy doesn't the church offer to host a cash machine? I agree that you need one of those. You could have it installed in the side of your church hall. Or ask the co-op to host one. I think that would be more likely to help the people of SH, because let's be honest, Lloyds will take no notice of you!
Best wishes, as ever - Tim
In the long term I wonder about the future of the current post office site, and think we might be in a position to host that ...
ReplyDeleteGetting an ATM on the outside wall of the post office would be a good move in terms of shoring up the PO. But yes, you could host the Post Office (with ATM) in the church hall.
ReplyDelete