Santander in Hyde set to permanently close

Santander has announced plans to permanently shut its bank in Hyde as one of 111 branch closures across the UK. 

The branch in Hyde Market Place is expected to close its doors for good by 15 July this year. 

The Spanish lender has cited changes in customer behaviour since the start of the coronavirus pandemic for its decision.

It's the latest in a number of high street bank closures locally, with many people switching to online banking and almost two thirds of overall transactions now being carried out digital.

Most of the Santander branches to be closed down will have another within three miles - and the nearest one to Hyde will be on Old Street in Ashton.

Santander said branch transactions fell by 33 per cent in the two years before the pandemic and then declined by a further 50 per cent in 2020.

Adam Bishop, head of branches at Santander, said: "Branch usage by customers has fallen considerably over recent years so we have made the difficult decision to consolidate our presence in areas where we have multiple branches relatively close together.

"We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

"We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible."

Stalybridge and Hyde MP Jonathan Reynolds says he's writing to Santander to "beg them to reconsider" and feels residents should be consulted before "damaging decisions like this" are made. 

He commented: “This is an extremely disappointing decision from Santander. I am writing to them to beg them to reconsider, although I fear their minds are already made up.

"An internal review is not enough - high street banks are crucial to local economies and should be legally required to consult with communities before making damaging decisions like this. Hyde deserves better than this.”

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