Permanent banking hub opens in Westbury

Westbury’s permanent banking hub has officially opened in the former Barclays bank building on the High Street.

The new hub was opened on Friday 9th January with resident Val Jarvis, who campaigned for a banking service for the town, cutting the ribbon.

Westbury Mayor Jane Russ said, “We are so thrilled by this; it is exactly what the town needs and it’s right in the town. The irony of it going into the former Barclays bank is not lost on any of us but we don’t care. It is just the best thing.”

“Well done Val for bringing it forward, we had been looking at it but she provided that impetus for which the whole town should be incredibly grateful.”

Val, whose petition for a banking hub for the town received over 600 signatures in support of the project, said, “I did this petition because I felt that people were being sidelined.

There was a group of people that were maybe older or didn’t do internet banking, and it seemed unfair that there was nowhere for them to go.

“That’s why I decided to do the petition, and when I did, that was what people wrote down against the comments.

“So, I’m absolutely delighted that we’re here now, and we’ve got the permanent position. The staff that I’ve spoken to have said that now we’re here, we’re getting far more people, and the fact that it’s in such a brilliant place, you’ve got the bus stop, and then you’ve got the car parks around the corner, it couldn’t be better.”

The building had been vacant since the Barclays bank closed in 2018. Westbury has been without a bank when the last remaining branches, Barclays and Lloyds, closed. A temporary banking hub had been open at The Laverton and has now closed.

Customers of all major banks can visit the new permanent hub any weekday between 9am to 5pm to carry out regular cash transactions including withdrawals and deposits as well as checking balances or paying bills.

The hub also offers a community banker service where customers can talk to their own bank in a private space about more complicated issues on the day their bank is in the hub.

A community banker will be at the venue from Lloyds on Mondays, from NatWest on Tuesdays, from HSBC on Wednesdays, from Barclays on Thursdays and from Halifax on Fridays.

Gareth Oakley, CEO at Cash Access UK, said, “A huge thank you to the team at The Laverton for providing us with a home while we searched for the permanent location.”

To find out more about the banking hub, contact: cashaccessuk@cicero-group.com