West Lindsey councillors call for banking hub to open in Gainsborough
Councillors have called for a banking hub in Gainsborough as more branches move out of town.
Major banks are increasingly closing branches, with more than 6,000 having shut since 2015, as more users move online.
Banking hubs are shared spaces to ensure that in-person banking options remain for those who need them.
A hub recently opened in Market Rasen and has become “an essential part of the community”. There is also one in Rutland.
West Lindsey councillors unanimously backed a motion to explore a similar option in Gainsborough at a full council meeting on Monday (January 27).
Gainsborough Councillor Mandy Snee (Lib Dem) said: “The worrying trend of closing bank branches means people having to travel substantial distances when many are in poor health, unable to drive and therefore having to rely on disjointed public transport links or friends and relatives.
“The Market Rasen area recently opened a banking hub in a centrally located building.
“This banking hub is already proving to be an essential part of the community.”
She asked the council’s chief executive to explore whether a similar option was possible in Gainsborough.
Councillor Lesley Rollings (Lib Dem) said: “There are quite a few suitable locations for this.
“Many people use banks which are no longer in Gainsborough, meaning they have to travel to Scunthorpe or Lincoln.”
Councillor Matt Boles (Lib Dem) said: “I also hear from businesses who struggle to operate.
“If banks don’t have the facilities they need, then they have to travel out of town.”
Councillor Ian Fleetwood (Con) said it could be “a heck of a distance” between the different branches of a bank.
NatWest announced last week that it was closing five branches including Louth in 2025, saying customers were “using digital banking more than ever before”.