BORDON is set to be without a high street bank after Lloyds’ announcement that 100 branches will close.

Lloyds Bank, in Camp Road, will shut on August 1 and, following the closure of HSBC in 2015, Whitehill and Bordon will not have a bank.

Last Wednesday the banking group announced the 100 branches it plans to close between July and October. This is part of long-term, cost-saving measures, which will see thousands face redundancy.

In a letter to East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds, Lloyds Banking Group’s manager of UK and EU affairs James Allan said the group’s closures would affect branches in Bordon, Alton and Grayshott.

Alton’s Halifax (part of Lloyds) will close on September 26 and Grayshott’s Lloyds branch is marked for closure on October 10.

“These branches have been identified for closure because of the changing way customers choose to bank with us, which has resulted in customers using them less often,” Mr Allan said. “Most customers now regularly use alternative branches or other ways to bank, such as online and telephone banking, to complete their banking needs.

“Our branch staff have been informed about this announcement and will have the opportunity to discuss their individual circumstances with their line manager.”

But one local staff member, who contacted the Herald, was “disgusted at the way we’ve been treated”.

The employee, who wished to stay anonymous, said staff were only informed of the branch closures last Wednesday, when the four managers of the Bordon, Liphook, Haslemere and Grayshott branches were “pulled into a room and told only one of them is going to keep their job”.

Staff across the four branches (estimated to be around 20) will now have to “reapply for their jobs”.

The employee added that this was “the nature of the industry we work in, where job security and safety are things of the past”.

Beyond the general feeling that online banking had undermined the traditional branch network, the announcement appears to have come out of the blue for some staff.

The employee said: “This area in particular has a large fraternity of people who don’t necessarily go online and still value their local branch.”

The employee expressed surprise at the closure of the Bordon branch given it is a growing town, and accused Lloyds of “a lack of foresight all over”.

“There have been more changes over the past year to 18 months than in my previous 25 years in the industry,” the person added.

“I’ve had enough of it and it is no big loss to me, but there are people I work with who have only recently taken out mortgages and have only been given two months’ notice.”

The reductions are part of a three-year, cost-cutting programme seeking to axe a reported 12,000 jobs from the bank’s 75,000-strong workforce and to close hundreds of branches.

Mr Allan said: “Alternatives to the Bordon branch are available in Liphook and Farnham, and an alternative to the Grayshott branch is in Haslemere. Both also have post offices a short distance away, where customers can manage their day-to-day banking needs.

“Customers of the Bordon branch will have their accounts realigned to Farnham, around 7.2 miles away, and there will be no other impact on the way they manage their accounts.”

Town councillor Adam Carew was concerned in 2015 when the HSBC at the Forest Centre closed, worrying that Bordon was left with just one high-street bank. Now that too is earmarked to close, he hoped “every effort” would be made to ensure Bordon’s new town centre has “some” banks.

“This is another kick in the teeth for our community and for Lloyds’ customers in particular,” he said. “Although this is part of a wider reduction of Lloyds’ branches across the country, this is our last high-street bank. While many people do use online banking, phone banking and cash points, there are still a number of people, especially the elderly, who rely on traditional forms of banking.

“It is not right that our residents have to go all the way to Farnham, Petersfield or Alton to get to a high-street bank, especially for those who have no option but to use public transport.

“Lloyds’ customers will now have to go all the way to Farnham to get to their local branch.

“I trust that bank staff affected are being offered every opportunity to find alternative employment.

“Our only saving grace is that we have excellent post-office counter services at One Stop in Pinewood and at the Forest Centre. I gather Lloyds’ customers may be able to carry out normal banking activities there but will have to go to Castle Street, in Farnham, for a full range of banking services.

“Every effort must be made to ensure that our new town centre includes at least some high-street banks when it opens in 2019.”