Harborough banking hub discussions are under way as third bank in the town closes

Discussions about a banking hub in Harborough are ‘progressing’ following the closure of the third bank in the town.

Barclays shut its doors for good last week due to falling customer numbers, according to the bank.

It is the third bank to leave the town this year, with NatWest and HSBC both closing for the same reason.

The closures leave Lloyds, Santander, Market Harborough Building Society and Nationwide in Market Harborough.

Barclays says it has launched a ‘pop-up’ cashless service from the town’s Symington Building for the next 12 months.

And council leader Phil Knowles says calls for a banking hub have not gone unheard and discussions are under way.

He said: “The closure of another high street bank is concerning to a considerate section of the community. With Barclays closing today we are progressing discussions about a banking hub and how to use the Symington building for that.

“We hope to be able to give more advanced details on this in the very near future.”

The pop-up Barclays banking site will open today (Monday) and see customers receive face-to-face banking support.

It will be open every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 10.30am to 1pm and 1.30pm to 4.30pm.

A spokesman said: “We want to reassure residents we’re here to help. We’ll stay in the community and they’ll be able to talk to us in person.

“We’ll be available to help with things like day-to-day banking queries and helping manage money, though there won’t be access to cash at this site.”