Nearly 250 Banks Are Set to Close This Year: Is Your Local Branch on the List?

Hundreds of bank branches are set to close across the UK in 2026, deepening concerns about the loss of banking services on high streets and the impact on customers who still rely on face-to-face support. By the start of June, 138 branches had already shut, with the total expected to reach 245 by the end of the year. The closures are affecting communities nationwide, including Greater Manchester, where eight branches are due to disappear in 2026.

Lloyds Banking Group has been hit hardest, with 82 Lloyds branches already closed or scheduled to close this year. Halifax and Bank of Scotland, also part of the same group, are set to close a combined 71 branches. Santander plans to shut 54 branches in 2026, while NatWest is closing 35. Recent closures in Greater Manchester include Halifax branches in Didsbury and Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as a Lloyds branch in Altrincham. Other closures have already taken place in Manchester, Rochdale, Tameside and Trafford.

The banks say customer behaviour is changing as more people move to mobile and digital banking. Lloyds Banking Group says the shift away from in-person banking has driven its branch closures. Major banks agreed in February 2022 to a voluntary commitment to assess the impact of each branch closure, but since then 2,167 branches have closed across the UK, averaging nearly 10 per week.

To help communities left without local branches, banking hubs and free ATMs are being introduced. LINK, the organisation that reviews closure impacts, has recommended 277 banking hubs so far. These hubs are designed to provide essential cash and banking services in areas where branches have shut, especially for vulnerable customers, older people and small businesses.

The Government announced an independent review into access to banking in May, led by Richard Lloyd, the former Director General of Which? and ex-interim Chair of the Financial Conduct Authority. The review will examine the effects of branch closures and the future of banking access. It is also consulting on whether current closure assessments should go beyond cash access to include wider banking access, potentially leading to more banking hubs in both existing and future closure areas.

Industry figures say demand for cash remains significant even as digital banking expands. LINK says more than £76 billion was withdrawn from its cash machines last year, underlining the ongoing need for physical cash services. Cash Access UK says more than 200 banking hubs have now opened, including 100 in 2025 alone, and says these centres are becoming busier, with around 150 customer transactions per day on average.

The article highlights a continuing shift in how people bank, but also the growing effort to protect access for customers who still depend on cash and in-person service.