Yorkshire Building Society announces closure of Batley branch

Yorkshire Building Society has announced proposed changes to its high street network.
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The Society said it is planning to reshape and rebalance its national branch network to ensure it is delivering good value to its membership as a whole.

This would involve reducing the high street network in areas where it is highly concentrated, with YBS’s branch in Branch Road, Batley, proposed for closure in February.

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Batley has four other YBS branches within four miles and its next nearest branch is less than two miles away in Church Street, Dewsbury.

Yorkshire Building Society will be closing its branch in BatleyYorkshire Building Society will be closing its branch in Batley
Yorkshire Building Society will be closing its branch in Batley

Another five branches in Yorkshire and a further six YBS branches in other regions are also proposed for closure.

Gary Fowler, Director of Retail Distribution at Yorkshire Building Society Group, said: “We are a strong and financially sustainable mutual which members have trusted with their money for more than 150 years. We have evolved in that time from a small local building society into a secure and reliable contemporary provider that exclusively focuses on mortgages and savings, serving more than 3m people across the UK.

“In 2018 to 2019, Batley saw a significant fall of transactions at its branch. We are also seeing lower footfall across branches and declining face-to-face mortgage applications, which now represent just 5% of all our customer mortgage applications nationally.

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“Like all businesses, to remain relevant and competitive in today’s market, we must continue to evolve. There are four branches with in four miles of this branch and will be doing our best to support our customers’ transition to their nearest location, whilst working with our people who are at risk of losing their roles.”

The proposals would also involve discontinuing the Society’s face-to-face mortgage advice available in branches, which has been declining in popularity for the past five years.

The Society believes the proposals would enable customers to access high street services whilst ensuring members’ money is used in a more cost-effective way. Over the longer term, the Society would look to expand its network into new towns and cities where there is customer demand but where the Society currently has no presence.

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