The growing North Yorkshire town of Tadcaster looks set to be left without a bank at all after the summer.

Several weeks ago, Halifax announced the branch at 24 Bridge Street will shut its doors for the last time on Tuesday August 22.

Selby & Ainsty MP Nigel Adams told the Press he was ‘very concerned’ about the closure, as it follows closures from Barclays and NatWest in recent years, leaving the Halifax as the only bank in town.

The MP said: “That means that the Halifax is currently the only bank branch in Tadcaster. If it closes there will be no bank in Tadcaster. While telephone and internet banking services are very well developed they are not yet suitable for everybody.

Newcastle Building Society opens branch in Knaresborough library

“I will be asking Halifax, as the last Bank in Tadcaster to ensure that they address the needs of all of their customer who use the Tadcaster Branch.”

Banking services will be available at the town Post Office at 17 Commercial Street and there is an ATM at Sainsbury on Mill Lane.

Tadcaster mayor David Bowgett told the Press that though people had expected this would happen, news of the actual closure was still “very disappointing.”

“We are concerned that people are going to have to rely on the Post Office. However, we have been told that the library is looking into providing a tellers point for cash as is done in Knaresborough and we hope something will come of that.”

The NatWest, Lloyds and Halifax banks in the UK closing down

Mayor Bowgett says the closure was discussed at a meeting of the town council and had received notice of it through a county councillor.

The Halifax, he said, did not tell the town council of its plans, but neither had the other banks when they closed their branches in the town.

Tadcaster has lost a NatWest, Barclays and HSBC, with the Barclays and HBSC being taken over by other business and the former NatWest at 32 Bridge Street remaining empty for 4-years.

Mayor Bowgett added: “Tadcaster has historically had problems with footfall. Losing all the banks won’t help with that. We are hoping to work with the new North Yorkshire Council with regenerating the town centre.”

Barclays names 15 more branches to close

Halifax has said that like many banks, the use of branches has fallen as people do more banking online. In the year to October 2022, the Tadcaster branch had just 72 regular monthly branch users. In the five years to October 2022, branch transactions fell 61%. Cash machine transactions fell 41%.

The bank added 46% of Tadcaster customers used other branches, 71% use other branches, telephone of online banking and 30% use the Post Office for banking.

The nearest Halifax branches were at 49 Market Place, Wetherby, 6.7miles away and 7.84 miles away at 73 York Road, Acomb.