The local branch is set to close in March next year
The Surbiton branch of Lloyd’s Bank will close on 4 March 2025, one of 55 to close next year.
Customers have the option of doing their banking online or in the Kingston branch, which remains open.
Flis Leicester, one of the customers affected, said: “It is dreadful. I didn’t use the tills very much, but when I did, it is for things that couldn’t be done on an app or in a post office.”
Leicester will have to travel to the Kingston branch for in-person support. She said this is impractical during working hours and with the long queues in Lloyds Kingston.
Other residents, like Susan Ledner, said the closure of the Surbiton branch is a shame.
Ledner said: “Surbiton was one of the very few places to still have all the banks and now [they are] closing one by one. A lot of people were coming to Surbiton because their local bank had closed and now [they will] have to travel further.”
According to Accord, the Lloyds Banking Group will relocate employees working in the Surbiton branch to other under-resourced branches.
The employees that are not relocated have the option to work in online banking or agree to a voluntary redundancy.
A Lloyds spokesperson said: “As many customers now choose to bank through their mobile app or online, visits to our Surbiton branch have fallen over recent years.”
They added: “Customers can continue to manage their money online, by calling us, in person at Kingston Upon Thames branch, or the local Post Office on Victoria Road.”
Ellie Watkins, a Surbiton Lloyds employee, said that 88% of their customers already use other ways of banking, such as mobile, internet or phone banking.
However, for elderly customers who rely on in person interactions and financial advice from their local bank, the Surbiton Lloyds closure is worrying.
Leicester said that vulnerable people like her father, who is 93, want to get things done in person at a bank.
She added: “Where will we go for bereavement services? For those challenged with machines and reading that need a person.”
Another resident has decided to close their account with Lloyds Bank after the poor customer service they experienced.
Zinaida Kudrina said: “Lloyds was closed every time I was trying to pop in with any questions anyway. Eventually I closed the account with them.”
The Lloyds Banking Group owns Halifax and the Bank of Scotland, with 33 Halifax branches and 4 Bank of Scotland branches also set to close.
Lloyd’s bank will have 932 branches across the UK, after the closure of 55 branches in 2025.
Other Lloyds locations closing include:
- Baker Street
- Leeds Harehills
- Wisbech
- Kendal
- Derby Allenton
- Hitchin
- New Milton
- Southampton Shirley
Customers can still access the Lloyds bank online and receive financial advice here.
