WE are extremely proud of the Fingerpost Shopping Centre which lies at the heart of the Fingerpost community.

We are proud of the variety of shops and businesses it contains which includes a butchers, greengrocers, post office and two banks. People like to shop at Fingerpost because it is convenient and friendly.

I, along with local residents and shopkeepers, am very concerned that both of the banks are due to close in August.

This will be a huge blow to the local economy and will make banking much more difficult for private and business bank customers.

In a recent article by the Star, the community leader of Barclays, Maria Branigan, makes no apology for the branch closure but blames fewer customers and changing banking habits.

Telephone, online and mobile banking clearly has it uses but it is not for everyone, including businesses with large amounts of cash to deposit.

A recent national advertising campaign by Barclays states that they are, ‘A bank designed around the needs of customers and clients’. If this is true then why are they closing the Fingerpost branch against the wishes of their customers and clients?

I have already written to Barclays and I would urge them to seriously rethink their decision to close the Fingerpost branch.

Cllr Geoff Almond – Town Centre Ward councillor