WITH the town’s last bank set for closure at the end of this month, people have vented frustration at Bordon’s lack of facilities.

Lloyds Bank, in Camp Road, will close its doors for the final time on August 1 and, following the closure of HSBC in 2015, the town will not have a single bank left.

In April the banking group announced the locations of 100 branches it planned to close between July and October, as part of long-term cost-saving measures which will see thousands of people face redundancy.

However, although the interim period appears to be bleak for anyone who likes face-to-face banking, the Whitehill & Bordon Regeneration Company this week said it had left space for a bank in the new town centre.

It is the hope of the company which is developing the former Prince Philip Barracks - to provide a new town centre, three schools and 2,400 homes - that a bank will want to come to the town. But with branches closing up and down the country, it seems unlikely promises can be made.

The issue boils down to the age-old adage of: use it or lose it. Lloyds says the closures are due to customers changing their habits and visiting high street banks less nowadays, making it financially untenable to maintain many branches.

Whitehill Town Council leader Mark Davison (Cons, Whitehill Chase) said Bordon being without a bank will be an issue for plenty of residents.

“Lack of face-to-face banking facilities in the town causes enough hassle for people in Whitehill and Bordon, and this loss of another bank will only compound the problems, especially for those with limited mobility or transport,” he said.

“I think it is very important that there is a bank presence in the town. Online banking is fine if you are able to access and use the services.

“However, this service falls flat on its face when trying to pay in cheques or cash. Things get even worse when wanting to speak with banks. If you cannot go to a counter and speak with someone face to face, you are left with having to use the telephone, resulting in overly complex nested menu systems; intolerable hold times, and when you do finally speak with a human - it is usually with an outsourced customer-service department in a far-flung land - who is barely understandable. A wholly unacceptable situation really.

“Although this does not help in the short term, I will be liaising with colleagues and asking the Regeneration Company to try and entice a bank into the new town centre as part of the regeneration project.”

This week residents took to Facebook to vent their concerns about the situation in Bordon.

“It’s absolutely ridiculous that all the banks are closing,” Sam Flavell wrote. “HSBC, Halifax and now Lloyds.”

She wondered whether the town’s regeneration was “all about the houses” and money, as opposed to the infrastructure to support them.

Rosemary Knight said that when she moved to Whitehill and Bordon there were “more facilities and shops than there are now”.

“The High Street, Chalet Hill and Forest Centre look shabby and tired,” she added. “I’m ashamed of it.”

Emma Matthews said: “I would rather Lloyds remain. When I spoke to the cashier she seemed to think nothing would change the decision. But a large town without any bank is ridiculous.”

But Mike Reed pointed out that residents should not feel victimised because “banks are closing branches everywhere”.

Regeneration Company project lead James Child told the Bordon Herald that the firm was well aware of the issue.

“We are working hard to bring forward the detailed designs of the first phase of the new town centre in October 2017, and marketing of the town centre will begin in earnest from the end of July,” he said.

“We understand the community’s desire for a banking facility to be present in Bordon. The town centre plans allow space for a bank and we hope we can bring one back to Bordon.”

Whitehill & Bordon Community Party leader Andy Tree said the new political party’s Facebook page had seen plenty of banking concerns from residents.

“It is hardly inspiring public confidence in the development of Whitehill and Bordon if not a single bank wishes to have a branch in the town in the here an d now,” he said. “HSBC and Halifax recently left us and now Lloyds is going. Something needs to be done about this ASAP.

“While I appreciate that internet banking is on the rise, my 94-year-old grandmother relies on her local branch to pay in cheques, withdraw money over the counter, and provide a friendly and personal services. She lives in Alton and is spoilt for choice in terms of the banks available in Alton High Street. How is this fair for the elderly and other residents of Whitehill and Bordon?

“This is an example of another injustice and inequality that we, in Whitehill and Bordon, face against Alton and Petersfield in the East Hampshire district. I do not understand why the village of Liphook can keep its Lloyds branch, but it can be justified for the larger and growing town of Whitehill and Bordon to lose its branch. This has not been properly explained.”

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

Lloyds said that Bordon residents should go to Liphook or Farnham for their banking needs.