MP seeks support for customers as Halifax closes Lincoln branch

The Lincoln branch of the Halifax will close permanently next Wednesday, May 14.

The closure of the bank at 18 Cornhill is one 107 branch cuts nationally over 2025-26, which it is blaming on the increasing shift towards online banking.

Lincoln MP Hamish Falconer is seeking assurances that vulnerable customers will be supported as they switch to alternative services.

"I’m deeply disappointed to hear that Halifax will be closing its Cornhill branch in Lincoln. While I understand that banking habits are changing, the loss of in-person services hits hardest for those who are digitally excluded or rely on face-to-face support,” said the MP in a statement.

“Halifax has said that customers will still be able to access services at the nearby Lloyds Bank on Lincoln High Street, and while that’s welcome, it’s no replacement for dedicated, local provision. I’ve asked Halifax to keep me fully informed and to share a copy of the customer letter with my office.

“I’ll be pressing them to ensure that all customers, especially vulnerable residents, are properly supported during this transition and that alternative services are accessible and clearly communicated.

“Access to banking is a vital public service, and I will continue to push for protections for Lincoln’s high street and the people who rely on it."

Halifax claim to have gone through a two-step procedure to assess the impact on customers and let them know the reasons behind the branch close. 

Part 1 of the Closing Branch Review documents should have been available when the closure was announced, but Lincoln’s can only be accessed from May 28 – two weeks after the actual closure.

Part 2 should contain a summary of feedback Halifax receives from community consultation and be available two weeks before a branch closes. However, no document appears to have been published. 

Halifax is a former building society, which was converted to a bank in 1997, merged with the Bank of Scotland in 2001 and taken over by Lloyds TSB (now Lloyds Banking Group in 2009).