LAST Friday, I was in Wilton with local Wiltshire councillor, Pauline Church, to meet with two representatives from Lloyds Bank to discuss the impending branch closure in March. I realise that this is an issue that people feel very strongly about, particularly among older people with limited transport options to travel further afield and who do not bank online. This is ultimately a commercial decision for Lloyds to make and it is not the job of politicians to tell companies where they should or shouldn’t be located. However, Pauline and I wanted to meet with the bank to ensure that they knew the strength of local feeling on the matter and to seek reassurance that Lloyds had properly considered all the angles in making their decision.

We particularly made the point that housing growth on the western fringes of Salisbury, and within Wilton itself, is likely to improve the long-term commercial opportunities for the branch. Coupled with initiatives like Wilton Parkway train station and thousands of military families returning to Wiltshire from Germany, it is likely that demand for services from the Wilton branch will increase. I also asked Lloyds to consider deploying their mobile branch service in Wilton if they still decide to push ahead with closing the permanent branch. There is currently a similar service which operates in Shaftesbury, and I urged them to explore whether this would be a viable option in Wilton.

Quite coincidentally, the day before our meeting in Wilton, I was at the despatch box for the government in the House of Commons for a debate on community bank closures. The issue is certainly multifaceted – how do we balance the needs of vulnerable people in our communities who depend on over-the-counter banking services, with the reality that footfall in banks is declining and every year sees large increases in the number of people banking online and through mobile apps? There are certainly no easy answers!

The Lloyds Bank representatives were meticulous in recording all the points that Pauline and I made in the meeting last Friday, and will be going away to consider the matter further before responding to us. I can obviously offer no guarantees to anyone, but I will be continuing to fight for the interests of my constituents on the issue.