Bognor Regis and Littlehampton MP calls for change as banks disappear from high streets

The Conservative MP, who was first elected in 2024, following the resignation of long-standing area MP Nick Gibb, shed light on the ways in which banks vanishing from high streets have impacted her constituents.

"High streets have changed beyond recognition. Once we had Barclays, Natwest, Llyods (TSB) on every corner. Now 6,300 branches have closed since 2015. a 64 per cent fall. Cash use may have dropped to 14 per cent of payments, but millions still depend on it. Especially the elderly, the disabled and the vulnerable,” she said.

She gestured at communities like Rustington, where the closure of high street banks has ‘forced’ the entire population online, to digital banking services less equipped to deal with the individual needs of more vulnerable members of society.

"The post office can’t fill the gaps, queues are longer, and it can’t handle complex banking needs or take large deposits of cash,” she added. “And, despite my appeals to link, Rustington was denied a banking hub.”

The high street’s transformation has also impacted other communities in her constituency, according to Ms Griffiths. She also gestured at the story of a Ukrainian family, now living in Bognor Regis, who rely on in-person banking services to navigate language barriers in their new home.

Her statements come not long after many of the in-person banks in Bognor’s own high street closed, with Barclays and Natwest both closing over recent years, and Santander set to close its doors next month.

Many banks have established banking hubs, designed to make up for the shortfall in services left by the closure of brick and mortar facility but, for Ms Griffiths, they simply don’t offer the same depth and flexibility of service.

"Banking hubs offer a limited solution,” she said. “and they can take up to 12 months to open,” she said.

Addressing residents on Facebook not long after the debate, she wrote: “I am disappointed that when responding the Minister confirmed they have no plans to review the legislation that governs these decisions. That’s simply not good enough. I’ll keep pushing for better banking services across Bognor Regis, Littlehampton, and our villages.”