A BASINGSTOKE bank is set to close following plans to restructure the business.

The branch of Lloyds bank in Winchester Street is among the 15 branches across the UK which are set to close by the end of March next year.

Up to 23 jobs will be lost as a result of the announcement.

A spokesman for Lloyds Banking Group said: “We have confirmed the locations of a small number of Lloyds bank branches which will close between January and March 2019.

“These branch closures are in response to changing customer behaviour and the reduced number of transactions being made in branches.

“All branches announced for closure have a post office less than half-a-mile away so customers can still access their banking locally.

“We continue to make a significant investment in our branches and we are proud to have the largest network of branches in the UK.”

The announcement comes after Lloyds recently swung the axe on 380 jobs in the lender’s commercial banking, people and productivity, and retail and transformation divisions.

Earlier this year, Lloyds announced a further 405 job losses, but said its staff base would ultimately only be shrunk by 255 roles as 195 would also be added.

In April, Lloyds also announced it was slashing 1,230 jobs across its branch network and some central functions.

Under boss Antonio Horta Osorio, the bank has been pushing forward with an overhaul of its workforce and branch network, with a reorganisation meant to make it more relevant amid a boom in digital banking.

As well as the Basingstoke branch, banks in Cardiff, Buckley, Stapleford, Rowlands Gill, Mickleover, Madeley Telford, Leicester, Heywood, Heanor, Coventry, Cardiff Bay, Cambridge, Bristol and Blackwater.

Union Accord said the closures have so far been managed without compulsory redundancies.