Sinn Féin Economy spokesperson Caoimhe Archibald said recent announcements by a number of banks that they are closing branches is a double whammy for rural communities that have also faced Post Office closures.

Caoimhe Archibald said:

“Over recent months a number of banks have announced imminent branch closures citing changing consumer behaviour among other things.

“It is Sinn Féin’s view that there should be no bank branch closures during the pandemic and planned closures should be paused to evaluate customer behaviour post-pandemic. 

“When making the announcements about branch closures, banks cite their partnership with the Post Office as the replacement for many of the services.

“However in some areas including in rural communities, Post Offices branches have also closed meaning customers face a double whammy as they try to access necessary services.

“While the trend is towards increasing digital banking, for some customers this is not convenient or possible and for rural communities, important services are disappearing.

“Sinn Féin would like to see a future banking forum so that policy makers, banks and other stakeholders can discuss issues including banking in a digital age and how banks and other service providers can best respond to serve customers and communities that rely on their services.”