Double blow as two banks just 60m apart to close within 12 days of each other

Banking bosses at Halifax have confirmed a North Staffordshire branch is to close - just days after it was revealed a neighbouring Natwest is also shutting. Lloyds Banking Group - which runs Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland - has revealed plans to shut 136 branches by next March, including the Leek site.

It said the cuts were driven by customers shifting towards online banking services. As a result, the company will close 61 Halifax, 61 Lloyds and 14 Bank of Scotland sites. The Leek Halifax in Derby Street will shut on June 4.

The news comes just days after Natwest announced its Leek facility - also in Derby Street - will close for good on June 16. It is one of 53 Natwest branches being axed across the UK, including one in Longton. Moorlands customers are being directed to remaining facilities in Hanley, Congleton and Macclesfield. The Newcastle branch is also staying open.

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The two closures mean Leek town centre will be left with two prominent empty buildings in the space of 12 days.

Lloyds said that all workers at the affected branches will be offered jobs elsewhere in the company. A spokeswoman for the business said: “Over 20 million customers are using our apps for on-demand access to their money and customers have more choice and flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking.

“Alongside our apps, customers can also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branch, giving access to many more branches. Customers can also do their everyday banking at over 11,000 branches of the Post Office or in a Banking Hub.”

The announcement means that 1,784 bank branches have shut or announced their intention to close since February 2022, when a voluntary agreement saw the major banking groups commit to assessing the impact of every closure.
That’s an average of around 50 closures announced per month or 11 per week.

At least 289 branches will close this year, with the dates of 19 more closures yet to be confirmed and 19 already announced for next year. It follows on from 399 closures last year, 633 in 2023, and 425 in 2022.

The LINK initiative to assess the impact of closures - which was agreed by all the major banks including Barclays, HSBC, Natwest, Lloyds, and Halifax - was set up to ensure vulnerable customers and small businesses were not left behind in the switch to cashless payments and virtual banking. When closures leave communities without any local bank, banking hubs or free ATMs are set up to fill the gap.

Here is the full list of locations affected

Halifax branches

Fulham, London, May 8

London Strand, May 8

St Austell, Cornwall, May 13

Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, May 15

Omagh, Northern Ireland, May 19

Wilmslow, Cheshire, May 19

Rayleigh, Essex, May 20

Balham, London, May 22

Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, London, May 27

Cannon Street, London, May 28

Bangor, Northern Ireland, May 29

Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, May 29

Felixstowe, Suffolk, June 2

Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, June 2

Kingsbury, London, June 2

Launceston, Cornwall, June 3

Letchworth, Hertfordshire , June 3

Leek, Staffordshire , June 4

Winton, Bournemouth, June 4

Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, June 11

St Annes, Lancashire, June 12

Fleetwood, Lancashire, June 25

Pontypridd, Wales, July 15

Northwich, Cheshire, September 3

Skegness, Lincolnshire , September 3

Wallasey, Merseyside , September 4

Castleford, West Yorkshire, September 8

Barrow in Furness, Cumbria, September 10

Brentwood, Essex, September 10

Epsom, Surrey, September 15

Richmond , Surrey, September 16

Long Eaton, Derbyshire, September 18

Clapham Junction, London, September 23

Rhyl, Wales, September 23

Erdington, Birmingham, September 24

Cirencester, Gloucestershire, September 25

Walkden, Lancashire , September 25

Woolwich, London, October 1

Carmarthen, Wales, October 6

Hayes, London, October 6

Southport, Merseyside, October 7

Kingswood, Bristol, October 8

Folkestone, Kent, October 9

Crewe, Cheshire, October 14

Sittingbourne, Kent, October 15

Mold, Wales, October 16

Hove, East Sussex, October 20

Telford, Shropshire, October 22

Bexleyheath, London, October 23

Derby East St, Derbyshire, October 23

Stevenage Queensway, Hertfordshire, October 23

Blackpool Lytham Road, Lancashire, October 29

Eltham, London, October 29

Hexham, Northumberland, November 5

Sleaford, Lincolnshire, November 6

Wickford, Essex, November 10

Bolton, Greater Manchester, November 20

Horsforth, West Yorkshire, February 24 2026

Birmingham, Bearwood, March 2 2026

Peterlee, County Durham, March 3 2026

Nelson, Lancashire , March 4 2026

Lloyds Branches

Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, May 7

Louth, Lincolnshire, May 7

Bishop Auckland, County Durham, May 8

Leyland, Lancashire, May 8

Launceston, Cornwall, May 12

Pontyclun, Wales May 12

Margate, Kent, May 14

Prudhoe, Northumberland, May 15

Bridgnorth, Shropshire, May 20

Ludlow, Shropshire, May 20

Rayleigh, Essex May 20

Bristol Clifton, May 21

Herne Bay, Kent, May 21

Fulham, London, May 27

Bolton Farnworth, Lancashire, May 28

Bristol Patchway, May 28

Cardiff Whitchurch, Wales May 29

Godalming, Surrey, May 29

Southsea, Hampshire, June 2

Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, June 11

Dorchester, Dorset, June 19

Pembroke Dock, Wales June 26

Leeds Crossgates, August 20

Hornchurch Station Lane, London, September 11

Tooting, London, October 8

Southall, London, October 15

Kidderminster, Worcestershire, October 16

Bury, Greater Manchester, October 21

Walthamstow, London, October 22

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, October 30

Coventry Foleshill, Warwickshire, November 4

Dunstable, Bedfordshire, November 4

Feltham, London, November 4

Plymstock, Devon, November 4

Biggleswade, Bedfordshire, November 5

Hexham, Northumberland, November 5

Manchester Newton Heath, November 5

Bristol Bishopsworth, Bristol, November 6

Blandford, Dorset, November 10

Chard, Somerset, November 11

Sheffield Woodhouse, November 11

Shipston-on-Stour, Warwickshire, November 11

East Grinstead, West Sussex, November 12

Loughton, Essex, November 12

Falmouth, Cornwall, November 13

Ferndown, Dorset, November 17

Leominster, Herefordshire, November 18

Pontardawe, Wales, November 19

Thornbury Avon, Gloucestershire, February 2 2026

Peterlee Yoden Way, County Durham, March 3 2026

Hucknall, Nottinghamshire, March 4 2026

Liverpool Breck Rd, March 4 2026

Brigg, North Lincolnshire, March 5 2026

Caterham, Surrey, March 5 2026

Glossop, Derbyshire, March 9 2026

Tunstall, Staffordshire, March 9 2026

Houghton le Spring, County Durham, March 10 2026

Manchester Moston, March 11 2026

Seaton, Devon, March 11 2026

Sleaford, Lincolnshire, March 12 2026

Wymondham, Norfolk, March 12 2026

Bank of Scotland branches

Barrhead, May 21

Kirkintilloch, May 22

Uddingston, May 22

Edinburgh Wester Hailes, May 27

Peebles, May 27

Sanquhar, May 28

Moffat, June 4

Edinburgh Corstorphine West, October 29

Pitlochry, October 30

Thornhill, November 3

Alexandria, March 2 2026

Annan, March 2 2026

Bishopbriggs, March 4 2026

Helensburgh, March 5 2026

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