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A BANKING campaign launched by Mick Bates AM in the County Times has had over 200 responses from members of the public who are furious over the lack of opening hours in Llanidloes.
Members of the Town Council and Chamber of Trade worked tirelessly to galvanise customers of Natwest bank into giving their opinions about the reduction in opening hours at the branch, which mean customers can only carry out their face-to-face banking between 10am and 2pm, Tuesday and Thursday.
Among the responses were numerous people unhappy with misleading advertising by the bank.
Mrs Valerie Queen wrote, “Not open on days when I need to bank, no longer a helpful bank as advertising claims to be.”
Long-time customer Sylvia Crisp wrote, “Let down badly after 50 years with Natwest.”
Many people commented on the long wait to get into the bank itself when it is open, including Tina Ingram who wrote, “Too big a queue and I haven’t got time to waste in queues.”
C.P. Mills simply wrote, “Queues queues queues.”
Call centres was another issue of concern, as written by Mrs S. Fowler who said, “Phone calls cost money and robots who answer do not help.”
The majority of the comments were from workers who were unhappy with the opening hours, including Mrs S. Owen who wrote, “Banks should be open every day for workers and everybody else. Close everything in Llani and it will be a ghost town just now.”
Another comment by a resident of Tan-yr-allt also used the phrase “ghost town” to describe the potential effects on Llanidloes and said that “to open the bank two days a week is a disgrace.”
M. Meyer wrote that they are “very worried” about the bank closing, and Marion Rowsell wrote that she “will change to Barclays because it is open.”
One of the most detailed responses came from J. Edwards of Old Hall, Llanidloes who wrote, “I am a non-driving OAP who gets to town on a Wednesday and a Saturday, neither of which is when Natwest is open.
"I am not on the internet [...] it is not convenient to have to ask for a lift down town on a Monday once a month.”
Commenting on the situation, County Cllr Gareth Morgan said: “The point is that the bank should be listening to the strong protest from all these communities.
“Let’s be decent, this should be a two-way arrangement, there needs to be compromise.
"The public are their principal shareholders and Natwest can’t be high-handed.”
A spokesperson for Natwest said that the bank is continually reviewing the usage of each individual branch and will be in a position to formally review its alternative opening hours on December 21.
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