Calls are mounting for Woodley to get its own community banking hub as the only official bank branch in the area is set to close.
The community is currently served by the Lloyds bank branch on Crockhamwell Road, but the bank has announced the branch will close permanently this summer on June 17.
As the Lloyds closure looms, residents and town officials are concerned their elderly and less mobile neighbours could be left with reduced access to essential banking services.
While there is a Nationwide office in Woodley that offers some banking services, they are technically a building society rather than a bank.
Brian Fennelly, Town Centre Manager at Woodley Town Council, said the council has made an application to LINK to assess whether Woodley should get its very own 'banking hub'.
He noted the owners of the banking hub service "would not even consider an application [for a Woodley banking hub] whilst a bank was still open nearby".
Banking hubs are spaces shared between various major banks, with each bank offering services to customers on a particular day of the week.
To decide whether Woodley should get a banking hub, Brian explained, LINK will examine the neighbourhood's "cash access need", looking at several factors like the number of nearby ATMs and the number of people in the area who may struggle with online banking services or travelling to banks in central Reading.
Brian said he has been approached by several residents since the Lloyds closure announcement, all asking what action the community can take to increase their chances of getting a banking hub.
Brian has suggested residents could set up a petition and has invited people to send him written statements on why local banking services are essential, which he will forward on to LINK.
One Woodley resident told the Chronicle she thinks it is "crazy" that people could be forced to travel into central Reading to access a bank, especially for elderly people who may not be comfortable with online banking.
"For many people ... it's something that's fearful for them with potential scammers about."
Kevin Murray, Woodley Town Clerk, told the Chronicle: "The Town Council is fully supportive of a banking hub in Woodley and recognises how important these services are."
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