HSBC in Berkhamsted survives 69-branch cull as two more Hertfordshire banks closes

Berkhamsted's HSBC Bank has survived a 69-branch cull announced by the company for 2022.

The announcement of the closures comes after 82 branches were previously closed in January last year including nearby Hemel Hempstead.

The move is the latest in a series of closures announced by a variety of banks, including NatWest, TSB, Barclays, Lloyds and Halifax.

But Berkhamsted's branch at 181 High Street, is not on the list of the 69 to be axed. Two more Hertfordshire branches will close, though, with HSBC in Hoddeston and the branch in Borehamwood & Elstree on the list.

Meanwhile the branch in nearby Thame - and the one in Beaconsfield, Bucks, are also set to close as part of the announcement.

Since January 2015, banks and building societies have closed, o r scheduled the closure, of 4,782 branches, at a rate of around 54 branches per month.

HSBC has said that it is closing its branches as a result of more and more customers choosing to bank online rather than in person.

The bank said that less than 50% of its customers now regularly use its branch network, with footfall dropping sharply over the last five years.

Jackie Uhi, head of HSBC UK’s branch network, said: “The way people bank is changing – something the pandemic has accelerated.

“Our branches continue to support people with their more complex banking needs, but the way we can do this has also evolved, with the addition of banking hubs, community pop ups and continued use of the Post Office network.

“Rather than a one-size-fits-all branch approach, it’s an approach built around the way different customers are choosing to bank in different areas.

“We know that the majority of our customers have a preference to do much of their day-to-day banking online or via mobile, so we’re removing locations where we have another branch nearby, and where there is a significant reduction in customers using face-to-face branch servicing.

“This will enable us to invest in locations where our customers are continuing to utilise the branch network, including updating technology and refurbishing branches.”

The decision to close more branches is set to affect around 400 workers.

A spokesperson for HSBC has said that the bank hopes to redeploy all 400 of the affected staff to new roles, all within 15 miles of their homes.

These are the 69 branches that HSBC will be closing across the UK between July and October this year, and their proposed closing dates:

Amersham-on-the-Hill, Chiltern - 23 August

Angel (Islington), London - 21 July

Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire - 25 August

Bishop Auckland, Durham - 23 August

Barking, Essex - 6 September

Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire - 4 August

Beckenham, Greater London - 8 September

Billericay, Essex -8 September

Bootle, Merseyside - 6 October

Borehamwood & Elstree, Hertfordshire - 16 August

Burgess Hill, West Sussex - 13 September

Cambridge, Hills Road - 21 July

Canton, Cardiff - 4 October

City of London - 19 July

Daventry, Northamptonshire - 13 September

Dewsbury, West Yorkshire - 6 September

Didsbury, Manchester - 29 September

East Grinstead, West Sussex - 2 August

Ellesmere Port, Cheshire - 15 September

Eltham, Greater London - 18 August

Falmouth, Cornwall - 6 October

Farnham, Surrey - 2 August

Gloucester Road, London - 26 July

Golders Green, London - 18 August

Hammersmith, London - 28 July

Hampstead (High Street), London - 27 September

Harborne, Birmingham - 11 August

Hartlepool, Durham - 1 September

Herne Bay, Kent - 4 October

Hoddeston, Hertfordshire - 9 August

Ilkeston, Derbyshire - 22 September

Inverness, Inverness-shire - 27 September

Keynsham, Somerset - 1 September

Kingston, Surrey - date to be confirmed

Leyland, Lancashire - 16 August

Londonderry, Derry - 11 August

Lymington, Hampshire - 4 August

Merry Hill, Birmingham - 28 July

Monmouth, Monmouthshire - 26 July

Moorgate, London - 21 July

New Bond Street, London - 19 July

Newmarket, Suffolk - 8 September

New Malden, Greater London - 1 September

Omagh, Northern Ireland - 16 August

Peckham, London - 2 August

Perth, Perthshire - 26 July

Petersfield, Hampshire - 22 September

Pinner, Greater London - 6 September

Pontefract, West Yorkshire - 20 September

Ringwood, Hampshire - 20 September

Shirley, Warwickshire - 29 September

Sidmouth, East Devon - 13 September

St Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire - 20 September

Stowmarket, Suffolk - 18 August

Street, Somerset - 4 August

Strood, Kent - 15 September

Thame, Oxfordshire - 9 August

Thornbury, Gloucestershire - 15 August

Trafford Park, Manchester - 4 October

Uckfield, East Sussex - 11 August

Wandsworth, London - 27 September

Wellingborough, Northamptonshire - 23 August

Westfield, Stratford City, London - 19 July

Whitehaven, Cumbria - 22 September

Whiteladies Road, Bristol - 29 September

Woking, Surrey - 28 July

Woodbridge, Suffolk - 25 August

West Bridgeford, Nottingham - 15 September