Following Santander’s March announcement that they would be closing three branches locally, Sinn Fein councillor Sarah Duffy has announced that “community banking services” will now resume locally.
The Spanish banking giant officially closed the doors to their Russell Street branch on the 1st of this month (July), much to the dismay of its Armagh-based customers.
In a statement from the high street lender, they explained that the bank will be “changing the format of a number of branches to include 18 counter-free and 36 reduced hours branches, alongside its 290 full-service branches and five Work Cafés”.
The move also saw the closure of the Portadown and Dungannon branches alongside 92 others nationwide.
Related: Santander announce closure of three local branches in sweeping network changes
However, Councillor Sarah Duffy has now confirmed the imminent resumption of local services from a new location.
Said the councillor: “Since Santander first announced the closure of their Armagh City branch, Sinn Féin has been in regular correspondence with the bank to highlight the serious impact this would have on local people – particularly older residents, those with accessibility needs, and anyone less comfortable with digital banking.
“While we remain firmly of the view that physical banking services must be protected, we welcome the introduction of a service locally, which will now operate weekly from Dobbin Street Community Centre starting on Wednesday, July 16.
“This means customers can once again access face-to-face support on matters like account services, fraud prevention, digital banking help, and more.
“We’ll continue to campaign for permanent, accessible banking options in Armagh — but this is a step in the right direction, and we encourage anyone affected by the closure to make use of the service.”
The services will be available from Dobbin Street Community Centre on Wednesdays from 9:30am to 5pm.
