Bolton West is one of 30 UK constituencies without a bank branch, according to Which. More than three in every five bank branches across the UK have closed their doors permanently since 2015, according to the consumer choice brand. A permanent banking hub opened i n Horwich after the town lost its final bank branch last month.
The town, which has a population of more than 20,000, saw its final bank branch, NatWest, close in July. In previous years, Barclays, Royal Bank of Scotland and TSB have all shut branches in the town. A plan for a much-anticipated new banking hub for Westhoughton has been lodged.
The proposal will see the former PR Gibbs and Co office on Market Street, Westhoughton, turned into a hub for all kinds of banking services. This comes after the town was left with no banks and only two post offices after Lloyds Bank closed its branch on Market Street in 2022. Yorkshire and the Humber has just 4.
4 branches left per 100,000 people – making it the region with the worst branch access – the consumer group’s analysis found. The East Midlands was found to have the second worst branch-to-people ratio, with 4.6 branches per 100,000 people.
Scotland has the “best” access to branches, at 6.9 per 100,000 people, but Which? said the uneven spread of its population means people living in more rural areas face long journeys to use a bank. The research found 6,161 branches have been shut across the UK since 2015, representing over three-fifths of the banking network.