Barclays Local site opens in Blackburn after bank closure

A Barclays Local site opened on Monday, May 13, at Freckleton Business Centre, on Freckleton Street.

This is following the closure of Barclays on Darwen Street, on May 11.

Freckleton Business Centre (Image: Google)

The aim of the Barclays Local site is to offer customers “a wide range of services” including help with finances and money management.

It is a cashless site meaning banking transactions, including cash deposits and withdrawals, cannot take place here.

Those wishing to make a cash transaction have been asked to visit a local Post Office.

The site is open weekdays, from 10am until 12.30pm and then from 1pm and 4pm.

A spokesperson for Barclays said: “Customers visiting us at Freckleton Business Centre will be able to access a wide range of services including assistance with everyday finances and money management (such as helping customers open accounts, updating customer details, or paying bills), free digital skills workshops and fraud and scams awareness events for the community.

“As the replacement service is a cashless site, everyday banking transactions, including cash deposits and withdrawals, will need to be completed at a local Post Office.

“Barclays is committed to deploying a range of more flexible ways that customers can physically interact with the bank. 

"This now includes more than 350 banking sites located in town and city centres in spaces such as community centres, libraries, and business hubs where it offers drop-in and pre-booked appointments.”

Some Blackburn residents have expressed frustration at the site’s closure, including Phil and Karen Boulding, who recently had to travel to another town to deposit cash into a Barclays bank.

The Barclays closure was announced in January. A statement was released stating that only a small number of people use the Blackburn branch on Darwen Street, causing Barclays to close the branch.

Barclays stated that 94 per cent of people who use the branch have also banked using the app, online and by phone in 2022.

It is said that 140 customers use this branch regularly as the only way to do their banking, and 10 per cent of this branch’s customers have used nearby branches in the last 12 months.