More than 30 jobs to go as Lloyds Bank branches close

Thursday 16 June 2022

Three Lloyds Bank branches are set to close across Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney in a move that will lead to 34 job losses.

Branches will be closing in St. Anne (the only Lloyds branch in Alderney), Five Oaks in Jersey and St. Martin in Guernsey. Both Jersey and Guernsey will have two branches remaining open.

The States of Alderney said the decision was potentially "devastating" for the island.

Islands Director for Lloyds Bank International Alasdair Gardner said: “We have made the decision to close our Alderney branch by the end of this year. 

“This is not a decision we have taken lightly and is in response to the low levels of customers who use this branch, which has seen significant reduction in recent years.

“We’ll spend the intervening months working closely with the local community to advise and support with alternative access to banking and what face-to-face services our customers can access from other financial providers after the branch closes.”

Pictured: The States of Alderney described Lloyds as a "vital part of the fabric of the island."

The decision has been said to be “devastating” for Alderney, which is now left with only one physical bank: HSBC.

“This decision potentially has a devastating outcome for the island on many fronts such as employment, economic activity, immigration and social cohesiveness, particularly among our older residents,” said the Acting Chairman of Alderney’s Policy and Finance Committee, Ian Carter.

“We are deeply saddened by the news and are seeking the earliest possible face-to-face engagement with the Lloyds team. Our immediate hope is that the Bank will reconsider as Lloyds is a vital part of the fabric of the Island both physically on Victoria Street and through the highly valued staff who discharge their financial responsibilities with skill and diligence, often alongside informal support for their customers.”

Lloyds will not be leaving immediately and a six-month transition period has now begun. The bank said it would, where possible, aim to redeploy staff.

“We have to acknowledge that this is a commercial decision and we will work with Lloyds and the Chamber of Commerce over the next six months to minimise the disruption this could cause,” Mr Carter added.

“We trust that Lloyds will demonstrate a degree of social responsibility to us as a community.”