Several more banks have announced further closures across the county, and therefore Bracknell has been seeing more and more branches disappearing from the high street.

As another two banks are expected to close in Bracknell this year, there appears to be a split opinion on whether this is the best course of action to take.

According to companies that have made the decision to close, it is because of the reduction in customers that visit each of their branches.

Although Bracknell branches cater to a wide selection of the elderly community across East Berkshire the supposed reduction in customers compared to pre-pandemic is thought to be substantial.

Here are the bank’s still available in Bracknell in 2024

  • Lloyds Bank
  • HSBC Bracknell
  • Nationwide
  • Santander

Early this year, Barclays and Nat West announced that over the next few months' they will also be closing their Bracknell branches.

This is following the closure of their Wokingham and Woodley banks.

Barclays, located on 1 High Street, will be closing its branch on Friday, May 17. They have said that they hope to open a banking hub somewhere in town following the closure however this has not been confirmed as of yet.

Nat West has recently announced to its customers that the Bracknell branch will close in September after in-branch visits saw a drastic fall.

Local residents have had split opinions on whether these closures are for the benefit or loss of the community.

Although many of the younger generation very rarely use bank services due to the versatility of online banking, small business owners and members of the older population rely on in-bank services such as cash services and in-person deposits and withdrawals.

Age UK has previously raised concern about rising bank closures, stating that "hundreds of thousands of older people" are being left without convenient access to basic banking services.

Caroline Abrahams, Age UK Charity Director, said:  “The scale of the bank branch cull over recent years only seems to be getting worse. The torrent of closures is a serious blow for the millions of older people who rely on branches, particularly those who are not online or confident with mobile banking.

"This blow is exacerbated when closures coincide with poor public transport locally, a lack of ATMs, substandard internet service, and mobile black spots, making it extremely difficult for customers to access their money.

“The new shared Bankingre a significant step in the right direction, but with so many branches disappearing the banks need to seriously pick up the pace of the rollout and ensure that older people are not left living in banking deserts, and those who desperately need physical banking services can continue to access them.”

Following the news of the NatWest and Barclay's imminent closures in Bracknell, some readers expressed differing views on bank closures.

One reader said: “Times change, you don’t need a branch open. You can pay cheques and cash in via the machines which is usually quicker. Everything else is online. You don’t spend fortunes on wages and rent to satisfy a small portion of the population unfortunately.”