Another branch of Lloyds bank in Milton Keynes area closes today

The Stony Stratford branch of Lloyds Bank closes its doors today (September 27), following an announcement in June which blamed the closure on customers moving to digital banking.

The closure of the branch at 67 High Street, follows the axing of branches in Wolverton and Newport Pagnell in 2019.

The decision by Lloyds Banking Group to close a further 44 branches branches this year as been widely condemned by customers and The Unite union which said the bank was "walking away from local communities".

"The decision to further erode its presence within our communities is baffling," said Unite national officer Caren Evans.

"The closure of 44 more bank branches will deny our communities of essential services such as access to cash and experienced highly trained staff. A local ATM is not a suitable alternative to a staffed bank branch."

But customer are reassured alternative banking provision is available at nearby post office branches including:

> Stony Stratford Post Office, 51 High Street, ,MK11 1AA

> Barford PO, 1-2 Barford, Milton Keynes, MK11 1NJ

> Greenleys PO, Milton Keynes, MK12 6AX..

A spokesman said: "Each of these branches offers banking services - including deposits, free cash withdrawals and balance checks, as well as offering face-to-face access to government services, bill payment, foreign currency, travel insurance and, of course, postal services.

"There are also 2,000 free-to-use ATMs installed across the UK post office network.

"Post offices are proving vital to retaining people’s and business access to cash as the banks continue to desert the high street in order to cut costs and increase their profits.

"Every post office plays a vital role within the heart of the local community. Post offices provide a reliable and essential service which has continued at a high standard across the whole of the UK throughout the pandemic."