A YORK bank branch is to shut after its owners revealed its usage levels were “well below the national average”.

A local councillor said he was ‘disappointed’ that the HSBC branch in Acomb was to close and said local people should work with the area’s remaining banks to try to ensure they stayed.

The branch in York Road to due to close its doors for the final time on Friday, October 7. Signs have gone up in its windows and letters have been sent to HSBC customers in the area telling them about alternative services they can use.

This is not the first bank closure in Acomb in recent years. The NatWest branch shut in June 2014 and the Barclays branch has also closed, leaving the Halifax and Lloyds still in the area.

An HSBC spokesperson said: “We continually review our branch network to make sure our branches are in the right locations for our customers and we have a sustainable network for the future.

“Over the past five years, we have seen an overall reduction of footfall at our branches of more than 40 per cent, and sometimes we have to make the difficult decision to close branches.

“These are not decisions we take lightly and we work closely with those impacted, including customers and staff, to help them understand their options.

“Usage at our Acomb branch is well below the national average and we have made the decision to close the branch. We understand branch closures may cause concern for some of our customers.

“We have put in place a number of measures to help, including a partnership with the Post Office, so our customers can still carry out their day-to-day banking.”

Westfield councillor Andrew Waller, a founder of the Acomb Alive group which seeks to promote the area, said: “I’m very disappointed with the news. I’m a treasurer for a local community centre and we used that branch. We are going to have to move the account, and a lot of local businesses that use the HSBC for banking will have to move as well.”

He would speak to colleagues at Acomb Alive about the situation.

“We are going to look at how we can work with the existing banks and ensure they remain, and we will encourage people to use them or lose them,” he said.

Cllr Waller said a new shop had just opened in the centre of Acomb, adding he thought businesses seemed to be consolidating in the pedestrianised area and near the car park.