There can be no doubt that Bank branch closures have affected hundreds of thousands of people. But it is as equally certain that’s its impact on disabled people has been even greater!
The APPG (All Party Parliamentary Committee) has concluded that bank branch closures severely impact on the lives of disabled people.
*In the round, the inquiry found that the disclosures of physical bank branches is having a detrimental effect on the lives of disabled people.
*The alternatives to physical bank branches, online banking and mobile bank replacements, are widely considered inaccessible and insufficient in the services they offer to disabled people.
*Many disabled people who wish to still visit a physical bank branch – to access the full range of services – must travel long distances to find one which is accessible. This is very difficult for many, and impossible for others, who had to change banks after branch closures.
*Many disabled people stated a clear need for face-to-face interaction in their banking services, which is not delivered by the increasingly automated systems offered by banks.
*The closures are resulting in some disabled people losing their sense of independence, as they now cannot complete their banking by themselves, and others have been left feeling isolated from society.