A LOCAL MP has slammed plans to close a village’s last remaining bank.

Ranil Jayawardena, MP for North East Hampshire, criticised Lloyds Bank after it was confirmed its Odiham branch, in High Street, would close on March 8, 2017.

Mr Jayawardena has now organised a petition to object to the closure – which will now see residents in the village having to travel at least six miles out of Odiham to their nearest branch in Fleet.

The closure comes after Barclays opted to cease trading at its branch in Odiham in October last year.

He said: “I am very disappointed that Lloyds have chosen to take a decision to close the Odiham branch.

“This follows the recent closure of Barclays in Odiham, even though I know that branches are highly valued, especially by older residents and small business owners who often pop in to manage their finances.

“If their bank accounts are moved to Fleet, this becomes a four-hour return journey by local transport, which is clearly not in the best interests of our community.”

“If local residents want to send a signal to Lloyds that they should keep the Odiham branch open, I’d encourage them to sign my petition.”

Lloyds, which in 2015 celebrated 250 years of trading, told The Gazette that the branch only has 25 regular weekly personal and business customers and that approximately 73 per cent of its personal customers in Odiham use other branches and other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking.

A spokesperson from Lloyds said: “We have made the difficult decision to close this branch. This branch has been identified for closure because of the changing way customers choose to bank with us, which has resulted in customers using it less often.

”The majority of customers also now regularly use alternative branches or use other ways to bank such as online and telephone banking to complete their banking needs.”We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause and have informed customers of the closest alternative branch.”

Customers will also be able to take public transport or drive to Basingstoke if they wish to go in branch to manage their bank accounts.

Jonathan Hale, chairman of Odiham Parish Council, said he was “stunned” by the Lloyds decision and feared for the future of other parish businesses.

Cllr Hale said: “Being our last remaining bank, it provides an essential service for our community and local businesses, as well for the surrounding villages.

”Having also recently lost our bus service, this is a real blow, especially for those who moved their banking to Lloyds, reassured by their staff that our branch was here to stay.

”Of course, it’s not just the inconvenience. Lloyds bring a lot of footfall to our High Street – and I fear this decision, if not reversed, will have a wider impact on the businesses who count on this passing trade.”

To sign the petition visit tellranil.com/campaigns/odiham-bank-closure.