Tue, 13 Mar 2018 21:30 Y Byd ar Bedwar

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-Over the past few years, banks have

-disappeared from the high street.

-Our research shows the true cost

-of the reduction.

-Almost half the branches

-of the main banks...

-..have closed in the past decade.

-I'm not sure what the future holds.

-The town will die on its feet

-if we don't watch out.

-HSBC and Nat West have closed

-two-thirds of their Welsh branches.

-More are about to close.

-We had a letter stating the

-nearest bank will be 30 miles away.

-30 miles. That's a long way to go

-for a bank interview.

-In London, banks claim the demand

-for traditional branches has fallen.

-If you look at the figures...

-..less people are using the branches

-than they did 15 years ago.

-Dozens more branches

-are about to close.

-Tonight we ask if it's the end of

-the road for the high street branch.

-I start my journey in Tregaron.

-The town has a long history

-in financial circles.

-Its high street

-was once home to Nat West...

-..Lloyds...

-..Barclays...

-..and in the 19th century,

-the bank of the local drovers...

-..Banc y Ddafad Ddu.

-Two centuries have passed

-since the days of Banc y Ddafad Ddu.

-Since then, the town has been home

-to some of Britain's big banks.

-Barclays, Lloyds and Nat West.

-Since last year, all three banks

-have closed their doors.

-I'm here today to meet

-the lunch club...

-..who've braved the cold weather

-to reach the Talbot.

-They've met here monthly

-for the past 16 years.

-They've witnessed major changes here

-since then.

-What effect has closing the banks

-had on Tregaron?

-It's had a negative effect

-on the community. Oh, yes, it has.

-People don't travel

-to Tregaron anymore.

-When they visited the bank,

-they visited the shops too.

-They don't come anymore.

-Banks claim that more and more

-of their customers now bank online.

-That doesn't please everyone.

-I know that people can do these

-things online but not everyone can.

-You can't do everything online.

-We like to deal with a human being.

-It makes a difference. Speaking

-to a machine isn't the same.

-With the town's three banks having

-closed over the past two years...

-..their nearest banks are now

-in Aberystwyth and Lampeter.

-It's becoming very inconvenient

-for us.

-We have to visit Lampeter.

-It's been a huge loss to us.

-I have to rely

-on my daughter to drive me.

-I don't drive as I used to.

-In June, Lampeter will lose another

-branch as Nat West leaves the town.

-As part of a plan

-to close 20 branches in Wales...

-..Nat West in Cardigan

-will close in May.

-Tonight, local residents have

-gathered to voice their concerns.

-Nat West had 130 branches in Wales

-ten years ago.

-Only 52 remain now.

-It's disastrous news for people

-living in rural communities.

-Ceredigion will now only have

-one Nat West, in Aberystwyth.

-It's a real headache for us.

-Travelling from Cardigan

-to Aberystwyth can take an hour.

-That's very inconvenient

-if you run a self-employed business.

-You don't have time to close

-the shop and travel to Aberystwyth.

-You'll lose money.

-Local MP, Ben Lake, has raised

-the matter in Westminster.

-He wants the UK Government to do

-more to retain high street banks.

-Their official view is

-that this is a commercial decision.

-They're a private company

-and they won't interfere.

-Nat West are owned by RBS

-which was rescued in 2008...

-..thanks to 45bn of public money.

-Taxpayers rescued the banks

-a decade ago.

-They still hold, I think,

-about 70% of Nat West's shares.

-Local farmer Dilwyn Jenkins

-is angry...

-..that Nat West

-is planning to leave Cardigan.

-It's important

-to have someone you know...

-..and can communicate with locally.

-In Gwbert, not far from Cardigan...

-..Dilwyn Jenkins has been

-farming Gwelfor for 60 years.

-He lives there with his wife

-and farms beef cattle.

-They've always banked with Nat West

-at the Cardigan branch.

-Late last year, they heard

-that changes were planned.

-We received a letter from them

-at the end of the year.

-I think it was the beginning

-of December.

-They said the branch

-was closing down.

-For them it wasn't a problem.

-They stated our nearest bank

-would only be 30 miles away.

-30 miles is a long way to go

-for a bank interview...

-..to see the manager

-or ask for help.

-According to Nat West, financial

-transactions in Cardigan...

-..have decreased by 14% since 2012.

-Only 58 customers visit the branch,

-on average, every week.

-Nat West claim that other options

-will be made available...

-..including the use

-of the town's post office.

-That hasn't calmed Dilwyn's fears.

-Have the post office staff

-been trained to do this work?

-I'm not sure about working

-with a third party on this.

-It means someone else will be aware

-of our financial details.

-When Nat West closes its doors,

-Barclays, Lloyds and HSBC...

-..will remain in Cardigan.

-Dilwyn is worried that they

-will eventually close their doors.

-He feels that banks should consider

-their duties to customers like him.

-If they expect us

-to be their customers...

-..they should keep

-local branches open...

-..to allow us to go in

-and receive friendly advice...

-..and to discuss financial matters

-with people who know us.

-I'm heading north

-to hear similar concerns.

-Here, in the market town

-of Llanrwst...

-..British and international banks

-have opened branches over the years.

-Today, only one

-part-time bank remains.

-Santander was located here

-for a time.

-On the right

-is the old Nat West bank.

-When did this one close?

-Seven, eight years ago.

-Rosslyn Morgan is the clerk

-of Llanrwst Town Council.

-He shows me the situation along

-the town's high street, the A470.

-HSBC were here until last June.

-HSBC were the last

-full-time bank in town.

-The nearest HSBC branches

-are in Llandudno and Colwyn Bay.

-Public transport isn't the best.

-Even by car, you're talking about

-a journey of two hours or more...

-..to get there,

-do your business and travel back.

-At the end of 2017, there was more

-bad news for the people of Llanrwst.

-The town's last bank, Barclays,

-is open for three days a week.

-It will close its doors for the

-final time at the end of the month.

-According to Barclays, more and more

-people bank online and on the phone.

-They've seen a drop of 12%

-in customer use of the bank...

-..over the past two years.

-Rosslyn isn't convinced.

-Barclays, and to be honest

-every other bank...

-..use the same mantra

-with us and everyone else.

-They state that a customer-led

-revolution has caused the changes.

-If you speak to people

-on the streets...

-..the people of Llanrwst and many

-other places, the message is clear.

-This isn't

-a customer-led revolution.

-It isn't a voluntary choice,

-it's being forced upon us.

-According to Barclays,

-they have branches...

-..in Llandudno and Colwyn Bay for

-customers wishing to visit a branch.

-That's no comfort for Dwynwen Berry.

-She's a businesswoman

-who runs a Welsh shop in Llanrwst.

-The town will die on its feet

-if we don't watch out.

-When people are banking

-on the coastline...

-..that's where

-they do their shopping.

-The streets of Llanrwst

-are a lot quieter.

-She says that closing the

-other banks has affected the town.

-Cafes have closed,

-shops have closed.

-The fact that banks are closing

-isn't helping the situation.

-It's another move that acts

-against a successful Llanrwst.

-Being without a bank is nonsense.

-You're a businesswoman. You must

-understand that businesses change.

-Of course, yes,

-and I do bank online.

-I pay bills online...

-..but I can't bank cash online.

-You can't stuff your five-pound

-notes and coins into a computer.

-They say you can send it by post.

-That means cheques

-will take longer to clear by post.

-It's just another problem.

-The message is the same

-from other businesses.

-Deiniol ap Dafydd has run the Blas

-ar Fwyd cafe and shop for 30 years.

-Having a local bank was crucial when

-he first established the business.

-When I started, I was in contact

-with a local bank manager.

-He could decide, from knowing us,

-if we were suitable for a loan.

-By now, that right

-left this valley decades ago.

-The branches are now disappearing

-from town too.

-It's taken a layer of responsibility

-out of society.

-He says that losing banks

-means losing time.

-He has to travel to Colwyn Bay

-and Porthmadog these days.

-We have to bank cheques,

-we have to bank cash.

-We need change.

-It's impossible

-to do that in Llanrwst now.

-According to Deiniol, it's time

-for banks to think creatively...

-..if they want to strike

-a better balance...

-..between their own interests

-and those of their customers.

-Could there be a branch,

-like the last one in town...

-..that's used

-by many different banks?

-Office blocks have shared buildings

-between businesses for years.

-Why can't a bank counter be HSBC on

-a Monday and Barclays on a Tuesday?

-Why are branches closing

-across Wales?

-Later, I visit one of the world's

-global banking centres, London...

-..in my search of answers.

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-Canary Wharf, London.

-Here, at the headquarters

-of some of our high street banks...

-..the global banking crisis

-rocked the world.

-Back then, the British Government

-stepped in to save the sector.

-500bn of public money was used.

-Since then,

-the city of London has settled down.

-Away from the city,

-great changes have happened.

-During the past 10 years, HSBC has

-closed 65% of its Welsh branches.

-Nat West has closed 63%.

-Between the main banks, HSBC,

-Nat West, Barclays and Lloyds...

-..518 branches were open in Wales

-in 2008.

-By today, 246 of those have closed.

-We asked the banks' chief executives

-for interviews...

-..but none agreed.

-I'm in London today

-to meet John Derrick.

-His roots are in Llanelli.

-He's managing director of private

-international bank JP Morgan.

-He's also worked

-for one of the high street banks.

-He feels that the sector is

-more answerable and responsible...

-..than it was

-before the 2008 crisis...

-..but profits are still the target.

-Money talks for the banks.

-They worry little

-about the effect on communities.

-For any private company...

-..what matters is pleasing

-customers and shareholders.

-Without customers,

-there are no shareholders.

-It's that simple.

-You can't just satisfy shareholders,

-that won't generate business.

-We've heard concerns across Wales

-that towns are dying on their feet.

-He doesn't accept that.

-Communities are created and founded

-on local economies.

-The banks accept the investment,

-the money that's made by people.

-The bank doesn't create

-the local economy.

-You have to question the purpose

-of the bank in that locality.

-The purpose of the bank

-is to fund new companies...

-..and work with the community to

-be there to create new businesses.

-But the bank, per se,

-can't create the economy.

-It's wrong to think of a bank

-in that way.

-According to John Derrick, the banks

-face challenges in the future...

-..because of competition

-from online banks.

-Customers have more power

-these days...

-..because they're not tied

-to local branches.

-Customers can choose which bank

-they prefer to work with.

-People don't find themselves

-in a position they've been...

-..all their lives just because

-their parents banked with that bank.

-That doesn't make any sense to me.

-I don't do that.

-As the British banking

-landscape changes...

-..back in Wales, there's still

-a demand for high street branches.

-Banks are trying to strike a balance

-between old and new.

-In Prestatyn

-on the North Wales coast...

-..with a population of 18,000,

-Nat West closed its doors last June.

-Today, the Nat West van, Heulwen,

-visits the town's car park.

-Why have you brought the mobile bank

-to Prestatyn today?

-Last year we closed the branch

-in Prestatyn.

-Because of that, we bring the

-mobile bank here to help customers.

-The way people bank with us

-has changed.

-A lot of people choose

-to do their banking digitally.

-We understand that not everyone

-is comfortable with that.

-Rachel Williams is

-a community banker with Nat West.

-She travels to areas where branches

-have closed to help the customers.

-From my experience, people

-like seeing us here every week.

-People like using the van...

-..or speaking to me

-as a community banker.

-It gives them a face to the name.

-The van visits Prestatyn weekly

-and stays for 90 minutes.

-Not everyone is happy.

-It's very sad, for the town

-and for everyone.

-Prestatyn is busier now

-with the new development.

-There are plenty of shops

-on the streets.

-I know that people aren't happy.

-When the news broke about the

-closure of Prestatyn's Nat West...

-..local people started a petition

-to try and reverse the decision.

-Do you understand

-why some people aren't happy?

-We've spoken to people who'd prefer

-to see a bank on the high street.

-The way people have banked with us

-has changed over the years.

-We understand that not everyone

-is comfortable banking online.

-We've put all these things together

-to try and help our customers.

-In Bala, the departure of another

-bank has created concern here too.

-Barclays will shut on March 23...

-..because less people use the

-branch according to their figures.

-There's been a reduction

-of 14% over the past two years.

-An event has been organised

-to help customers bank online.

-One person who's worried

-about the bank's decision...

-..is the local MP.

-We all need banks. If you're a

-business, if you work, you're paid.

-If you receive a pension or benefits

-through a bank, this all happens.

-Since I was elected as an MP

-in 2015...

-..I've watched the final bank

-leave the high street in Harlech.

-The same in Blaenau Ffestiniog.

-We're here in Bala today

-seeing Barclays preparing to leave.

-At the end of January, Plaid Cymru

-presented a bill to Westminster.

-They wanted the British Government

-to change the rules...

-..to allow more than one bank

-to share a building.

-They wanted investment

-in post offices...

-..to offer more banking services and

-force banks that want to close...

-..to consider the time taken

-to reach the next closest branch.

-I'm disappointed with Westminster

-for not holdings banks to account...

-..better than they have.

-In the future, we must start

-looking to our strengths.

-We must ensure that we maintain

-and strengthen current services.

-I asked the Treasury for

-their response to the concerns...

-..that Westminster

-wasn't doing enough.

-The Treasury understands the

-effect branch closures have had...

-..on communities and employment.

-They're pressing banks...

-..to give as much notice

-as they can before closing...

-..and to explain the available

-options for banking after closure.

-They do say that bank closures are

-a result of commercial decisions.

-They don't interfere

-in such matters.

-Back in Wales,

-where Nat West has closed...

-..two-thirds of its branches

-in 10 years...

-..it says it's offering more

-services than ever to customers...

-..locally face-to-face

-and digitally online.

-On Gwelfor farm near Cardigan...

-..with Dilwyn Jenkins'

-local Nat West preparing to close...

-..online banking

-isn't without its obstacles.

-"This script may be busy."

-It won't let me in.

-I've tried to log on

-to Nat West online a few times.

-I've checked the speed

-of our broadband.

-It's come up here as 0.29 Mbps.

-0.29.

-Impossible. No chance.

-After decades of banking

-at their local branch...

-..on May 30 this year...

-..Dilwyn Jenkins and his family,

-like many others across Wales...

-..will lose the bank that's been

-so crucial in their lives.

-It's a change that will knock

-Cardigan and towns across Wales.

-This message needs to be heard

-by Nat West and the other banks.

-We need them in rural towns

-and communities.

-Back in Llanrwst, as banks claim

-that a drop in branch usage...

-..triggered their decision

-to close branches...

-..Deiniol ap Dafydd has a word

-of advice for the decision makers.

-Decreasing the choice...

-..and decreasing the service

-is the easy option financially.

-I don't think that's

-a long-term business plan...

-..that will satisfy society...

-..the business community...

-..or the country going forward.

-S4C Subtitles by Adnod Cyf.

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