Santander confirms future of Scarborough branch as closures announced

Santander is to close 111 branches across the UK - a fifth of its network - which it says is in response to the shift to mobile and online banking, accelerated by the pandemic, with almost two thirds of overall transactions now digital.

Branch transactions fell by 33 per cent over the two years before the pandemic and declined by a further 50 per cent in 2020.

The closures will begin in June this year, with all 111 to be closed by the end of August.

It is understood that about 840 staff work in Santander branches where closures have been announced, and face losing their jobs. Santander said it would be working to find alternative roles for them wherever possible.

Scarborough s Santander bank will remain open after the branch was not included on a list of nationwide closures.

All Santander current and business account holders can also bank using one of over 11,000 Post Office branches.

Adam Bishop, Head of Branches, said: “We will provide every support to customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

"We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible.

"We continue to believe that branches have an important role to play and we expect the size of our network to remain stable for the foreseeable future."