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I was very annoyed to hear that HSBC is planning to close down its Shoreham branch as from Friday 26 August 2016 at 15:00 and transfer customers to the Warwick street, Worthing branch.
I have published the main part of their letter below and I will be meeting the regional manager next week. No figures are given for the basis on which they have decided to close the branch and this now means there are no branches of HSBC in the whole of Adur or indeed my constituency. This is particularly frustrating as last year I was assured there would be no more branch closures locally after the Lancing and Broadwater branches shut their doors. So much for ‘the world’s local bank!’ If there any points you would like me to raise with HSBC when I meet them on June 7th please let me know as soon as possible.
Letter from Regional Manager:
Tim Loughton MPHouse of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA
Dear Mr Loughton
Thank you for your time to discuss our decision to close the HSBC branch in Shoreham-by-Sea on Friday, 26 August 2016 at 3pm which is located in your constituency.
As discussed, following careful analysis of the branch’s commercial viability it was clear that it is no longer generating the custom necessary to justify its continued operation. I’m sure you will appreciate that customer banking habits have changed dramatically in recent years, with many customers now using branches where they work or the 24 hour convenience of telephone, mobile and internet banking. In the response to those changing patterns we need to ensure that our branches are in the right locations and we invest in the development of our internet and mobile facilities. Unfortunately that means that we sometimes have to close branches to ensure our network remains fit for purpose.
We will be writing to each of our customers of Shoreham-by-Sea branch on Tuesday, 31 May 2016 advising them of the closure. Out main priority will be to ensure that we are aware of any difficulties faced by our customers and that their banking needs will be catered for in the best possible way. With this in mind, our branch staff will be available to talk through the many alternative ways of banking, and will take steps to proactively contact customers who may have problems accessing alternative banking facilities. In these cases we will offer one-to-one appointments providing advice and practical solutions; including training on telephone and internet banking where appropriate.
We do not propose any redundancies as a result of the Shoreham-by-Sea closure and will continue to talk to our people about their redeployment to our other branches. Following the closure, we will automatically transfer administration of our customers’ accounts to our Warwick Street, Worthing branch. This branch has longer opening hours and additional staff to assist with our customers’ baking needs. In addition, there are other HSBC branches at Hove and Brighton.
All HSBC and first direct personal current account customers can now access their bank account at Post office branches for cash withdrawals, cash deposits, cheque deposits and balance enquiries. We have also reached an agreement with the Post Office to enable business customers with a debit card to pay in and withdraw cash and check their balance. The nearest Post Office is located at 15 Brunswick Road, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex BN43 5XN which is within walking distance.
If any individual cases of difficulty are raised with you, I would be grateful if you could bring them to my attention so that we can do our utmost to arrange for appropriate assistance.
I hope that our conversation helped to explain the reasoning behind this very difficult decision, and how HSBC will provide assistance to our customers affected by the closure.
Yours sincerely
Regional Director