CORSHAM Town Council are urging Lloyds Bank to rethink their position about removing the last bank in the town and honour their promise of holding a consultation.

Chief executive David Martin has written to the bank in disbelief after they announced that the Corsham branch would be closed along with 99 others across the country in October despite being reassured last year that the branch was not under threat.

"It is extremely disappointing especially after our last letter in August where they told us they would not close without holding a consultation," he said. "Since the announcement we have asked them to put this on hold on carry out the consultation like they promised.

"So many banks have closed in the town over the last couple of years so we have become reliant on Lloyds being the last bank and unfortunately they have decided to leave meaning people will have to travel to Chippenham or Melksham to get to their nearest branch."

"We are expecting another 800 houses in the next four or five years and that is a significant amount of potential customers. Small businesses will not be able to take a break our of their day and pop in, the older population who do not use online banking and prefer face to face banking will be affected and there will be a footfall on some of the other services in the High Street."

Retaining the bank in the town remains a priority for the Chamber of Commerce and president Stuart Pearce is encouraging account holders to come forward so they can form a case against the banking giants.

He said: "I think it is important to try and retain the last bank in the town and from the Chamber of Commerce point of view we are requesting any businesses who bank with Lloyds to come forward and we will put together a series of cases and complaints, which we will then take to Lloyds.

"I think more and more banks have lost that personal touch and I think this will affect the older generation much more as the younger businesses tend to use online banking. At the end of the day, Lloyds are a business and head office have made the decision to close so I am not sure how much we can change but we have to try."

A spokesman for Lloyds Banking Group said: “We do not take the decision to close any branch lightly and do so after first considering a range of factors, such as regular usage and access to alternatives branches and other ways to bank.

"In line with the rest of the banking industry we follow the Access to Banking Protocol when closing any bank branch, which means engaging with local stakeholders to develop a further understanding of the impacts of a decision.

"We have complied fully with this requirement and since announcing the closure we have been engaging with customers and local businesses to ensure they are aware of the alternative ways of accessing their banking with us in the local area, as well as key local stakeholders including MPs and local councillors.”

For more information or to present your case to the Chamber of Commerce email Stuart Pearce on president@corshamchamber.co.uk or ring 01225 635660.