Featherstone loses its fight to save the last bank

The last bank in Featherstone will close despite new homes expected to increase the town’s population.

Campaigners against Yorkshire Bank’s planned closure of its Station Lane branch say the decision is shortsighted because of regeneration elsewhere in Featherstone.

Hundreds of people signed a petition against the closure, which was announced as part of Yorkshire Bank’s half-year results in March.

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Now the bank has confirmed that the closure will go ahead - despite warnings it would lead to Featherstone being turned into a ghost town.

Helen Dawson launched a petition signed by more than 400 people calling for the bank’s owner National Australia Bank not to close the branch.

Mrs Dawson said: “The bank has said all along that no matter what the community does, they are adamant that it was closing.

“What we’ve been saying is, how can they make a decision about closing the branch without looking into the regeneration that is going on in the area?

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“We are going to have extra people coming into the town and they are going to need things like an additional supermarket and a bank.”

Yorkshire Bank confirmed the closure, one of 19 of its “under-performing” branches which are facing the axe.

No job losses were involved because staff would be redeployed. Other branches to close included Driffield, East Yorkshire, Elland near Halifax, and a branch in Barnsley.

Yorkshire Bank was planning to refurbish another 18 branches and create a larger branch in Leeds.

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Featherstone councillor Graham Isherwood and MP Jon Trickett both sent letters of objection to the closure.

To view the petition visit www.change.org/p/national-australia-bank-please-change-the-decision-to-close-the-featherstone-branch-of-the-yorkshire-bank.