Skates slams Barclays over Llan branch closure news

* The Castle Street branch is earmarked for closure.

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates has slammed Barclays after the company confirmed that the only surviving bank branch in his constituency will close this summer. 

He has accused the banking giant of not being honest about its future and promised to raise the issue with the Welsh Government as a matter of urgency. 

The Clwyd South MS has previously criticised high street banks and the UK Government for ‘opening the floodgates’ for the raft of closures in Wales – with his constituency among the worst affected. 

And this week Mr Skates accused Barclays of not being honest about its intentions after it announced its Llangollen branch would shut on July 7. 

He said: “The news that yet another high street bank has turned its back on customers in our area is as unsurprising as it is disappointing. 

“Over the years Barclays has repeatedly refused to guarantee the long-term future of the Llangollen branch, so we knew this was coming at some point despite the company’s insistence there were no plans to close it and despite the best efforts of local people. 

“The timing of the announcement was telling, too - just before the Easter weekend when many people go away. People are right to be angry.” 

Mr Skates added: “The floodgates were opened when the UK Government scrapped an agreement with the banking sector which made it compulsory for the last branch in a community to stay open. It has proved to be disastrous for communities like ours, as the big banks wasted little time in cutting costs and shutting down valued local branches in order to maximise profits.” 

During his time as Economy Minister, Mr Skates launched plans for a Community Bank of Wales to bring branches back into local communities.  

This week he said: “It’s becoming clearer every day that people who want to bank in-branch just can’t rely on the high street chains. I will raise this matter urgently with the Welsh Government and urge them to do everything possible to accelerate the rollout of the community bank, which will be the first of its kind anywhere in the UK.”