Use facilities or face losing them

Long Sutton Parish Council is urging people to use facilities in the town or face losing them.

It follows TSB announcing that it was closing its branch in the town.

People can still bank in Long Sutton using the post office in the Co-Op.

But the parish council is urging people to use it to ensure that service and others in the town aren’t lost.

Clerk Karen Treacher said: “Obviously the parish council is so disappointed that the last bank in the town, and for the town’s environs, will be closing.

“At a time of learning the NatWest mobile bank will not be returning is a blow for the town. (Ed – See below for clarification)

“People from other villages use the bank after all the other banks have closed in their communities.

“The continual practice of banks pushing everything online and achieving a cashless society by stealth does not take into account the difficulties the elderly, those with no IT facilities and those without transport endure due to these policies.

“The nearest banks are in King’s Lynn, Spalding and Wisbech, all difficult to get to and when people visit them there are very few cashiers and it is difficult to access appointments or obtain advice in person.

“The banks are becoming ever more remote and faceless. It recently took over five months to obtain a bank mandate change for the council so the council appreciates the difficulties people face with regard to the present attitude of the banks.

“Fortunately the town does have banking access at the post office in the Co-op which people should use or they may lose it too.”

• Since Long Sutton Parish Council sent the information about the Nat West mobile banking unit, the unit has began to again visit the town. The Voice has contacted Nat West for a comment.