My son has lost his independence since our town's last bank branch closed... but the area wasn't deemed isolated enough for a banking hub

Banks across the country are vanishing into thin air. Between January 2015 and December 2024, 6,609 bank and building society branches closed, figures from consumer watchdog Which? show - and more are being shuttered by the day. Many customers must now travel miles to do their banking in person, or rely on banking over the phone or using apps where the only person available to speak to is a chatbot.Caroline Voaden, Liberal Democrat MP for South Devon, told a parliamentary debate this week how her constituency, which is home to 90,000 people, now has just one bank after the Lloyds branch in Totnes closed. Sean Trimming, 33, lives in Totnes. Sean has minor learning difficulties and, although he has a full-time job and is largely self-sufficient, he struggles with communicating over the phone.He previously relied on the Totnes Lloyds branch for face-to-face support with banking queries and developed a trusted relationship with staff, who understood his needs and made reasonable adjustments for him.His dad, Leo Trimming, 61, explained how staff helped protect his son from scams and explained financial issues to him in a way he could understand. Lost independence: Leo Trimming (left) told This is Money of the effect the closure of the local bank branch is having on his son Sean (right)Sean accepted such advice from the bank staff more readily than from his parents because he trusted them, Leo said. After the branch closed permanently in January, Sean has lost the source of support he once had and now depends much more on his parents.Leo said: 'He's lost that independence now. That's been taken away from him, and he's now to fall back on his parents.'Sean had a good working relationship with the staff at Lloyds which he won't get with a call centre person. They're different each time and a faceless entity.'Sean's nearest bank is now around ten miles away, taking around 40 minutes each way on the bus. Sean doesn't drive so public transport is his only option.He works at a hotel and receives social support for five hours a week. Leo said: 'Sean is an independent young man, albeit with a learning disability, but he could go to his bank directly for support with his finances.'They showed him respect as a human being, as a citizen, and as a customer. They had the facilities to support him in a way that online banking cannot. He has lost that access to direct support now.' Sean works 30 hours a week as a kitchen porter in a hotel restaurant 'He's been denied the same sort of service that you or I would be able to access because we have the intellectual ability and the communication skills to be able to speak like this on phones.'Sean and quite a few other people with learning disabilities and mental health issues and other impairments do not have those skills or confidence to talk to people online in the same way.'That's what's been lost and it's a bit of a scandal. Quite a significant portion of our community's just being left behind without much regard.'Previously making a trip to the bank once a fortnight, Sean now calls his parents up to four times a week. Leo added: 'One day we're going to be too old or unable to help, and then I'm not sure what happens to Sean then.'When asked about the branch closure, a Lloyds spokesperson told This is Money: 'With access to one of the biggest branch networks in the UK, alongside local banking options like the nearby Post Office, PayPoint, plus our leading app, 24/7 messaging service and telephone banking, we offer our customers more choice and convenience than ever before. 'When a branch closes, our colleagues identify customers who may need additional support and work with them to provide help tailored to their circumstances.'It said that less than a quarter of its vulnerable customers banked only in branch. When it closed the Totnes branch, it said staff were given guidelines to help them identify vulnerable customers and support them with their specific needs. Lloyds also offers 'trusted person cards' which vulnerable people can give to a family member or friend to help them make purchases and get cash.The bank also said it held an event with the Post Office in Totnes to explain to customers the banking services that are offered there.Lloyds also said it had offered to meet with MP Caroline Voaden.Are banking hubs the answer? Voaden believes the Government must tackle banking deserts across rural areas, starting by relaxing the rules under which banking hubs are granted.A banking hub is a shared physical space on the high street that provides face-to-face cash and everyday banking services for customers of multiple major banks.Often, staff from a specific bank agree to be at the hub on one day each week. They are owned by Cash Access UK, a not-for-profit company funded by banks, and operated by the Post Office. But Voaden says Totnes was turned down for a banking hub as it didn't meet the criteria. 'Totnes lost its last bank in January and was denied a banking hub because the town has four ATMs, and the closest bank in Paignton is judged to be 30 minutes away on public transport,' she says. Caroline Voaden says it should be easier for rural towns to get a banking hub 'But that takes no account of the people who live in villages all around the town who have no bus service.' The current rules that determine whether an area qualifies for a banking hub are 'absurdly narrow,' Voaden added. 'They focus entirely on access to cash, rather than face-to-face banking, and make presumptions about the availability of public transport which bear no resemblance to the reality on the ground.'She continued: 'Since I began my campaign, I have heard stories of people with learning disabilities unable to use the online systems banks are imposing on them, pensioners travelling miles to complete basic banking tasks, and business owners standing in lengthy queues at Post Offices when they want to get back behind the till.'What these stories add up to is a complete dereliction of duty by the big banks. They are happy to rake in billions of pounds of profit and shell out exorbitant salaries but cannot find the funding or impetus to deliver the basic services customers deserve.'Looking to the future, Caroline hopes the new Prime Minister listens to what the public want as 76 want access to a physical bank branch in their local area.Prior to Burnham's takeover, the Treasury commissioned an independent review into whether shuttering high street banks across Britain is 'creating challenges for those who rely on in-person banking services'. 'I'm not suggesting every bank should have a branch on every high street in the UK, those days have clearly gone,' Voaden added. 'But enhanced banking hubs that provide all the in-person services people require, on behalf of all the major banks, is entirely achievable with the right political will. 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