BARCLAYS is to consider alternative options to the complete closure of its Ambleside branch after senior banking staff came under fire at a Lakes Parish Council meeting.

Four senior bank staff members faced a series of stinging rebukes from angry councillors who criticised Barclays for its lack of community consultation.

The bank was also accused of handling the situation in an ‘appalling’ way and was criticised for ‘abandoning’ its loyal customers, including local businesses banking which had banked with Barclays for more than three generations.

Kay Eccles, Barclays Community Leader for Cumbria and Lancashire, said Barclays did not normally consult with the public locally before taking such decisions.

She said it had been her decision that the bank should close on December 5 as and the driver was that footfall had fallen by 50 to 60 per cent over the past five years, largely due to the growth of online banking.

This had left the number of branch transactions at Ambleside in the bottom ten per cent nationally.

She added that Barclays had also reviewed the lease of its Ambleside building, which was large and under-used.

The closure decision was taken in spite of Ambleside’s growing student community of up to 550, a new Sainsbury’s branch, and the possibility of a Premier Inn and two new hotels.

Ms Eccles told councillors that the Post Office could be used for day-to-day banking transactions, both personal and business; but council members informed her that Barclays business customers could not currently bank there.

Councillors said also told her many older people either did not use computers, or had no trust in the security of online banking security and needed a bank where they could talk to people human beings.

She was also told that Lakes Parish Council, an active Barclays business customer responsible for financial management of public toilets and White Platts, would be greatly affected by the closure.

Councillors argued that Barclays’ suggestion that customers could travel to nearby branches at Windermere, Kendal or Keswick was not viable because of the journey times on crowded roads and cost to businesses.

They suggested that instead Barclays should consider maintaining a smaller presence in Ambleside, opening three days a week.

They told Ms Eccles that by admitting Barclays had got it wrong and listening to the community, the bank could regain people’s respect.

Ms Eccles said she had listened and would consult colleagues about the suggested alternative, with a decision in the next month or two.

However, councillors fear that Ambleside may be the thin end of the wedge in Cumbria, with other closures to follow. A letter is to be sent to the bank’s chief executive repeating the council’s criticisms.

Council clerk Michael Johnson is also to investigate the situation regarding bank closures with the Financial Ombudsman.