A COUNCILLOR has expressed their dismay at the news two major bank branches are to close, stating "we are still not a cashless society".

Barclays Bank sent letters to customers in Cleckheaton and Brighouse yesterday to inform them that its branches in the towns were to shut.

The firm confirmed the banks will close later this year, when contacted by the T&A.

Councillor Andrew Pinnock (Lib Dem, Cleckheaton) said he regrets the decision very much, but worries about how much the firm can be influenced now the decision has been made.

He added: "It's not good news really and I cannot treat it any other way, to be perfectly frank.

"What we can do about it, I have no idea because if a particular bank decides its business plan doesn't include having a branch in Cleckheaton, then we've found with previous banks, it's no good saying you shouldn't do this, because they won't take any notice."

Many responded in outrage at the decision on social media website, Facebook.

A number of people complained that they should not just be expected to online bank.

Cllr Pinnock said: "The thing of course is that there's a lot of people who run small businesses, for example, who do have need of access to a bank for a variety of reasons - access to cash and things like that.

"We still do not live in a cashless society and people in that sort of position are in great difficulty.

"It's all very well saying customers should move their account to bank 'x' who still have premises in Cleckheaton, but that's easier said than done.

"We're caught in a way between banks trying to streamline the banking process and the reality that people still need to have access to cash and to the services that a local branch will provide them with.

"There's not any easy answer - it doesn't make it easier for people.

"I certainly cannot see the council being able to help in any way, other than to have a word with the bank in question and say is this really the thing you should be doing."

The branch in Northgate, in Cleckheaton, will shut in three months time, on Friday, May 29.

Meanwhile, the Brighouse branch, in Briggate, will close its doors on Friday, June 5.

The Kings Cross Road Barclays Bank, in Halifax, will also shut - on Friday, June 12 - but there will still be a branch in the town centre.

A Barclays spokesperson said: "At Barclays in Cleckheaton, Brighouse and Halifax King Cross branches, customer usage has continued to decline and more than 75 per cent of our customers at all locations now regularly use online and telephone banking."

The move means both Cleckheaton and Brighouse will be without a Barclays branch come the summer.

The next nearest option for Cleckheaton customers will be to travel 4.9 miles to the Dewsbury branch.

For people who use the Brighouse Barclays Bank, it will be a slightly shorter trip of 4.4 miles into Huddersfield.

The Barclays spokesperson said: "The number of physical Barclays branches will reduce overall but our branch network and the colleagues who work in them remain a vital part of our offering.

"With customers visiting our branches less and less each year, we must constantly assess how and why our branches are used and make decisions based on that insight.

"We hope that the availability of our nearby Barclays branches along with our range of telephone and digital channels will help to ease the transition for our customers."