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20-10-2022, 22:11
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https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jZQFSKWrdOa7J9XlVsGbgB3m5PpcY37Caym2ZeLC4 ksxQ2zy3NcC23zSaNe22dcevLwmNVuIW4hOwJQE6EGWceRRLxd dxt2xE0pDW03-MqaDwE0axlxjzQlycSZvsU3BQVlhUh_pB7jPB4aKmApRF7Kq01 UfOkWYdix1u6sIHPkKMUD3mxHrAtH/w400-h268/Nat%20West.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jZQFSKWrdOa7J9XlVsGbgB3m5PpcY37Caym2ZeLC4 ksxQ2zy3NcC23zSaNe22dcevLwmNVuIW4hOwJQE6EGWceRRLxd dxt2xE0pDW03-MqaDwE0axlxjzQlycSZvsU3BQVlhUh_pB7jPB4aKmApRF7Kq01 UfOkWYdix1u6sIHPkKMUD3mxHrAtH/s3248/Nat%20West.jpg)
Amidst all the talk of pubs closing and businesses failing, there’s one institution on the High Street that many commentators seem to have missed. The institution I’m talking about, is one which is so fundamental to the conduct of business and commerce, that it’s disappearance ought to be raising far more alarm bells than it actually has – or perhaps not?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvX4tzqGL8MC2lfEDpS-Lp-TsF8Yd3QvITrd6djE9Ph1d4xJDalWuZ2gbtfi6AIWB1WWEz0hU TI7-5-J-YrfciY8QvasmA7NFzk-eqLOYT6KxLoI23peyyNJ1-i6Rm1CQJ4dq-adSKlYz7y5M2VCuzfBRMwpuqIk3FPKo9t0Nd7p1Hnin0uq5_y_ E/w400-h229/Barclays%20bank.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvX4tzqGL8MC2lfEDpS-Lp-TsF8Yd3QvITrd6djE9Ph1d4xJDalWuZ2gbtfi6AIWB1WWEz0hU TI7-5-J-YrfciY8QvasmA7NFzk-eqLOYT6KxLoI23peyyNJ1-i6Rm1CQJ4dq-adSKlYz7y5M2VCuzfBRMwpuqIk3FPKo9t0Nd7p1Hnin0uq5_y_ E/s3057/Barclays%20bank.jpg)
In case you hadn’t already guessed, the institution I am talking about is the High Street bank, once seen as the corner stone of most town centres, and regarded as unshakable, pillars of stability in a world that often seems to have gone completely mad. Times change though, and as we all know nothing stands still, no matter how much we would like them to
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zu9Wu1BOfRW07P7RZa__JpmzJ8t3-EodeQMNKlP2gclJxjQ22W3Kfujj1VOjJJYLcaE80xKuHrWg9Zn cGZGpjm_lgXCZiDcHmAuffBJJUZ0Xn9ymoRCwKMeUp32NpeATc ja6wxSFAHYGpJwcVDrThKHAQZSWGvaHgQa_odUw-RG7L-MUMVSgAr4B/w400-h206/Lloyds%20bank.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zu9Wu1BOfRW07P7RZa__JpmzJ8t3-EodeQMNKlP2gclJxjQ22W3Kfujj1VOjJJYLcaE80xKuHrWg9Zn cGZGpjm_lgXCZiDcHmAuffBJJUZ0Xn9ymoRCwKMeUp32NpeATc ja6wxSFAHYGpJwcVDrThKHAQZSWGvaHgQa_odUw-RG7L-MUMVSgAr4B/s3584/Lloyds%20bank.jpg)
As with pubs, banks are closing in their droves, and the reasons for this are purely monetary, as you might have guessed, and whilst to a certain extent. other financial institutions are also shutting up shop, the extent of this is far less than what we are currently witnessing from the major players in the game. These players are the big five banks that we’ve all grown up with and whose absence will certainly be noticed, and their presence sorely missed. They are of course, Barclays, HSBC (formerly the Midland,), Lloyds and National Westminster – Nat West, for short.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhLnDw8ycT51i0h6OFiXWFh4JAt27rLJ02ub0Kvr22i A0c4940EdEDkC79Wm7y3ApnySgu1vA8ILVdfFvEFPJioIwIgBj vPCXJr7VVTf0cVJMlh0mSL0BhGRJdy9nkhHu0psGUI9TF1ZBB8 Z3XOFHVnOcDDrgQQzmi_IF30_7GbvAMON25SyFzz98/w400-h225/HSBC.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhLnDw8ycT51i0h6OFiXWFh4JAt27rLJ02ub0Kvr22i A0c4940EdEDkC79Wm7y3ApnySgu1vA8ILVdfFvEFPJioIwIgBj vPCXJr7VVTf0cVJMlh0mSL0BhGRJdy9nkhHu0psGUI9TF1ZBB8 Z3XOFHVnOcDDrgQQzmi_IF30_7GbvAMON25SyFzz98/s4000/HSBC.jpg)
In Tonbridge, we have already seen the closure of Barclays and Lloyds are due to shut up shop at the end of this month. Then, last week, the announcement came that Nat West too will be closing in the run-up to Christmas. So, the National Westminster Bank, with its imposing street corner position, ornate stonework, and sleek marble pillars, a real symbol of longevity, stability, and permanence, and an institution that has served the town of Tonbridge and its inhabitants for decades, will soon be just another empty building.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53frYDwEUvTdgPARWFWxnUctwp3rgusst3TBPu4huQ3 Ra22X8GGkvR87hvbDp4cAsTZSsnuDKJqCzaw3sXRuK-M572V07Jt3gk_m-ZZRIlzVG98dkhWU8huFLayzHL2H8-YISlOXbP3VgSOwLQKjKdyYslBt00Nb40KvixekZDliZTcLzQXS yOVXi/w400-h300/20181020_100018.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53frYDwEUvTdgPARWFWxnUctwp3rgusst3TBPu4huQ3 Ra22X8GGkvR87hvbDp4cAsTZSsnuDKJqCzaw3sXRuK-M572V07Jt3gk_m-ZZRIlzVG98dkhWU8huFLayzHL2H8-YISlOXbP3VgSOwLQKjKdyYslBt00Nb40KvixekZDliZTcLzQXS yOVXi/s4128/20181020_100018.jpg)
When Eileen and I had our off-license business, it was that same branch of the Nat West that looked after all our banking needs and was the place where I made a beeline to on Monday and Friday mornings, to pay in the weekly and weekend takings. Because of this twice-weekly ritual, I got to know the counter staff, as we inevitably exchanged a few pleasantries. It is this loss of a facility, that provides an essential service for local businesses, that will have the most detrimental effect on the commercial life of the town, coming as it does, on the heels of the loss of Barclays and the imminent closure of Lloyds.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpsI-TJ853JqTbdNQZ6qxZqZCW485G0F0vxD886QlV36T6UBig_5crb 9zq28xjAutwfExZUfIGolB-ueQGE8eHNy0Mftn1N-6ByRv-FGkVH4V7mQc9KMYiOeIQrJf682cq6bazd4cGAVmfnp_RciwKeJ lO27iYd7xbjMeNsIdaQ8NgbVGOjC0LY76/w300-h400/IMG_20200705_135500.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpsI-TJ853JqTbdNQZ6qxZqZCW485G0F0vxD886QlV36T6UBig_5crb 9zq28xjAutwfExZUfIGolB-ueQGE8eHNy0Mftn1N-6ByRv-FGkVH4V7mQc9KMYiOeIQrJf682cq6bazd4cGAVmfnp_RciwKeJ lO27iYd7xbjMeNsIdaQ8NgbVGOjC0LY76/s4000/IMG_20200705_135500.jpg)
A month or so ago, Mrs PBT’s enjoyed a meal and an evening out with some old friends. Their chosen destination was a fine old pub, in a rural location, and whilst settling up the bill at the bar afterwards, the landlady was bemoaning the loss of banking facilities in Tonbridge. She was telling the group that she now had to drive into Sevenoaks, a town renowned for its congestion and poor car parking facilities, in order to bank the weekly takings and procure sufficient change, rather than making the shorter and much more convenient journey into Tonbridge. I’m not going to name the pub, although it is a well-known and well-regarded establishment which, like many local businesses is struggling to keep its head above water. The last thing that business owners in Tonbridge want is the extra hassle of being unable to pay in the takings locally, but their concerns are falling on increasingly deaf ears. Like its competitors, Nat West has blamed the closure of its Tonbridge branch, on a falloff in customer numbers compared to pre-pandemic levels, but many see this as just another excuse for what is clearly a cost-cutting exercise.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKcWUnTD8d3QisLpwyEWGQij4J0IoDf0XJJ6P7HhugK UZXG9VMkrAmu4eZr6OHzSjCG1FO-Wr0R38-yyQ1zIihj5qF9LhX0wCEo9m5WN2RnVQvXIQdXnqHQE9b6AEEI5 7ITJzzcR6AXw-FRyH-kx756EyMvEy0R49DBtdrnsPd1mluKJ_WhfaGdOS/w400-h225/IMG_20221020_164953.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKcWUnTD8d3QisLpwyEWGQij4J0IoDf0XJJ6P7HhugK UZXG9VMkrAmu4eZr6OHzSjCG1FO-Wr0R38-yyQ1zIihj5qF9LhX0wCEo9m5WN2RnVQvXIQdXnqHQE9b6AEEI5 7ITJzzcR6AXw-FRyH-kx756EyMvEy0R49DBtdrnsPd1mluKJ_WhfaGdOS/s4000/IMG_20221020_164953.jpg)
In common with other institutions, banks seem more concerned about their shareholders, than their customers, and whilst they would argue they are merely responding to customer demand by offering options for home banking, they have in effect, sowed the seeds of their own demise. Cynics would point out that the closure of walk-in High Street facilities, is a deliberate ploy to discourage the use of cash – an aim shared by both the banking system and the government, and whilst this judgement might well be correct, both institutions underestimate the important role that cash still plays in today’s world of business and commerce. I’m sure this trend is going to run, and run for some time, but it isn’t one we can afford to ignore, especially when one considers the negative effect it is having on cherished institutions like the local town and village pub. It is also madness, for a town the size of Tonbridge to be left with just one bank, and even that could change, as who's to say HSBC won't shut up shop as well.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/dont-bank-on-it.html)
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jZQFSKWrdOa7J9XlVsGbgB3m5PpcY37Caym2ZeLC4 ksxQ2zy3NcC23zSaNe22dcevLwmNVuIW4hOwJQE6EGWceRRLxd dxt2xE0pDW03-MqaDwE0axlxjzQlycSZvsU3BQVlhUh_pB7jPB4aKmApRF7Kq01 UfOkWYdix1u6sIHPkKMUD3mxHrAtH/w400-h268/Nat%20West.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn1jZQFSKWrdOa7J9XlVsGbgB3m5PpcY37Caym2ZeLC4 ksxQ2zy3NcC23zSaNe22dcevLwmNVuIW4hOwJQE6EGWceRRLxd dxt2xE0pDW03-MqaDwE0axlxjzQlycSZvsU3BQVlhUh_pB7jPB4aKmApRF7Kq01 UfOkWYdix1u6sIHPkKMUD3mxHrAtH/s3248/Nat%20West.jpg)
Amidst all the talk of pubs closing and businesses failing, there’s one institution on the High Street that many commentators seem to have missed. The institution I’m talking about, is one which is so fundamental to the conduct of business and commerce, that it’s disappearance ought to be raising far more alarm bells than it actually has – or perhaps not?
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvX4tzqGL8MC2lfEDpS-Lp-TsF8Yd3QvITrd6djE9Ph1d4xJDalWuZ2gbtfi6AIWB1WWEz0hU TI7-5-J-YrfciY8QvasmA7NFzk-eqLOYT6KxLoI23peyyNJ1-i6Rm1CQJ4dq-adSKlYz7y5M2VCuzfBRMwpuqIk3FPKo9t0Nd7p1Hnin0uq5_y_ E/w400-h229/Barclays%20bank.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgvX4tzqGL8MC2lfEDpS-Lp-TsF8Yd3QvITrd6djE9Ph1d4xJDalWuZ2gbtfi6AIWB1WWEz0hU TI7-5-J-YrfciY8QvasmA7NFzk-eqLOYT6KxLoI23peyyNJ1-i6Rm1CQJ4dq-adSKlYz7y5M2VCuzfBRMwpuqIk3FPKo9t0Nd7p1Hnin0uq5_y_ E/s3057/Barclays%20bank.jpg)
In case you hadn’t already guessed, the institution I am talking about is the High Street bank, once seen as the corner stone of most town centres, and regarded as unshakable, pillars of stability in a world that often seems to have gone completely mad. Times change though, and as we all know nothing stands still, no matter how much we would like them to
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zu9Wu1BOfRW07P7RZa__JpmzJ8t3-EodeQMNKlP2gclJxjQ22W3Kfujj1VOjJJYLcaE80xKuHrWg9Zn cGZGpjm_lgXCZiDcHmAuffBJJUZ0Xn9ymoRCwKMeUp32NpeATc ja6wxSFAHYGpJwcVDrThKHAQZSWGvaHgQa_odUw-RG7L-MUMVSgAr4B/w400-h206/Lloyds%20bank.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7zu9Wu1BOfRW07P7RZa__JpmzJ8t3-EodeQMNKlP2gclJxjQ22W3Kfujj1VOjJJYLcaE80xKuHrWg9Zn cGZGpjm_lgXCZiDcHmAuffBJJUZ0Xn9ymoRCwKMeUp32NpeATc ja6wxSFAHYGpJwcVDrThKHAQZSWGvaHgQa_odUw-RG7L-MUMVSgAr4B/s3584/Lloyds%20bank.jpg)
As with pubs, banks are closing in their droves, and the reasons for this are purely monetary, as you might have guessed, and whilst to a certain extent. other financial institutions are also shutting up shop, the extent of this is far less than what we are currently witnessing from the major players in the game. These players are the big five banks that we’ve all grown up with and whose absence will certainly be noticed, and their presence sorely missed. They are of course, Barclays, HSBC (formerly the Midland,), Lloyds and National Westminster – Nat West, for short.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhLnDw8ycT51i0h6OFiXWFh4JAt27rLJ02ub0Kvr22i A0c4940EdEDkC79Wm7y3ApnySgu1vA8ILVdfFvEFPJioIwIgBj vPCXJr7VVTf0cVJMlh0mSL0BhGRJdy9nkhHu0psGUI9TF1ZBB8 Z3XOFHVnOcDDrgQQzmi_IF30_7GbvAMON25SyFzz98/w400-h225/HSBC.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmhLnDw8ycT51i0h6OFiXWFh4JAt27rLJ02ub0Kvr22i A0c4940EdEDkC79Wm7y3ApnySgu1vA8ILVdfFvEFPJioIwIgBj vPCXJr7VVTf0cVJMlh0mSL0BhGRJdy9nkhHu0psGUI9TF1ZBB8 Z3XOFHVnOcDDrgQQzmi_IF30_7GbvAMON25SyFzz98/s4000/HSBC.jpg)
In Tonbridge, we have already seen the closure of Barclays and Lloyds are due to shut up shop at the end of this month. Then, last week, the announcement came that Nat West too will be closing in the run-up to Christmas. So, the National Westminster Bank, with its imposing street corner position, ornate stonework, and sleek marble pillars, a real symbol of longevity, stability, and permanence, and an institution that has served the town of Tonbridge and its inhabitants for decades, will soon be just another empty building.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53frYDwEUvTdgPARWFWxnUctwp3rgusst3TBPu4huQ3 Ra22X8GGkvR87hvbDp4cAsTZSsnuDKJqCzaw3sXRuK-M572V07Jt3gk_m-ZZRIlzVG98dkhWU8huFLayzHL2H8-YISlOXbP3VgSOwLQKjKdyYslBt00Nb40KvixekZDliZTcLzQXS yOVXi/w400-h300/20181020_100018.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53frYDwEUvTdgPARWFWxnUctwp3rgusst3TBPu4huQ3 Ra22X8GGkvR87hvbDp4cAsTZSsnuDKJqCzaw3sXRuK-M572V07Jt3gk_m-ZZRIlzVG98dkhWU8huFLayzHL2H8-YISlOXbP3VgSOwLQKjKdyYslBt00Nb40KvixekZDliZTcLzQXS yOVXi/s4128/20181020_100018.jpg)
When Eileen and I had our off-license business, it was that same branch of the Nat West that looked after all our banking needs and was the place where I made a beeline to on Monday and Friday mornings, to pay in the weekly and weekend takings. Because of this twice-weekly ritual, I got to know the counter staff, as we inevitably exchanged a few pleasantries. It is this loss of a facility, that provides an essential service for local businesses, that will have the most detrimental effect on the commercial life of the town, coming as it does, on the heels of the loss of Barclays and the imminent closure of Lloyds.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpsI-TJ853JqTbdNQZ6qxZqZCW485G0F0vxD886QlV36T6UBig_5crb 9zq28xjAutwfExZUfIGolB-ueQGE8eHNy0Mftn1N-6ByRv-FGkVH4V7mQc9KMYiOeIQrJf682cq6bazd4cGAVmfnp_RciwKeJ lO27iYd7xbjMeNsIdaQ8NgbVGOjC0LY76/w300-h400/IMG_20200705_135500.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXpsI-TJ853JqTbdNQZ6qxZqZCW485G0F0vxD886QlV36T6UBig_5crb 9zq28xjAutwfExZUfIGolB-ueQGE8eHNy0Mftn1N-6ByRv-FGkVH4V7mQc9KMYiOeIQrJf682cq6bazd4cGAVmfnp_RciwKeJ lO27iYd7xbjMeNsIdaQ8NgbVGOjC0LY76/s4000/IMG_20200705_135500.jpg)
A month or so ago, Mrs PBT’s enjoyed a meal and an evening out with some old friends. Their chosen destination was a fine old pub, in a rural location, and whilst settling up the bill at the bar afterwards, the landlady was bemoaning the loss of banking facilities in Tonbridge. She was telling the group that she now had to drive into Sevenoaks, a town renowned for its congestion and poor car parking facilities, in order to bank the weekly takings and procure sufficient change, rather than making the shorter and much more convenient journey into Tonbridge. I’m not going to name the pub, although it is a well-known and well-regarded establishment which, like many local businesses is struggling to keep its head above water. The last thing that business owners in Tonbridge want is the extra hassle of being unable to pay in the takings locally, but their concerns are falling on increasingly deaf ears. Like its competitors, Nat West has blamed the closure of its Tonbridge branch, on a falloff in customer numbers compared to pre-pandemic levels, but many see this as just another excuse for what is clearly a cost-cutting exercise.
https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKcWUnTD8d3QisLpwyEWGQij4J0IoDf0XJJ6P7HhugK UZXG9VMkrAmu4eZr6OHzSjCG1FO-Wr0R38-yyQ1zIihj5qF9LhX0wCEo9m5WN2RnVQvXIQdXnqHQE9b6AEEI5 7ITJzzcR6AXw-FRyH-kx756EyMvEy0R49DBtdrnsPd1mluKJ_WhfaGdOS/w400-h225/IMG_20221020_164953.jpg (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHKcWUnTD8d3QisLpwyEWGQij4J0IoDf0XJJ6P7HhugK UZXG9VMkrAmu4eZr6OHzSjCG1FO-Wr0R38-yyQ1zIihj5qF9LhX0wCEo9m5WN2RnVQvXIQdXnqHQE9b6AEEI5 7ITJzzcR6AXw-FRyH-kx756EyMvEy0R49DBtdrnsPd1mluKJ_WhfaGdOS/s4000/IMG_20221020_164953.jpg)
In common with other institutions, banks seem more concerned about their shareholders, than their customers, and whilst they would argue they are merely responding to customer demand by offering options for home banking, they have in effect, sowed the seeds of their own demise. Cynics would point out that the closure of walk-in High Street facilities, is a deliberate ploy to discourage the use of cash – an aim shared by both the banking system and the government, and whilst this judgement might well be correct, both institutions underestimate the important role that cash still plays in today’s world of business and commerce. I’m sure this trend is going to run, and run for some time, but it isn’t one we can afford to ignore, especially when one considers the negative effect it is having on cherished institutions like the local town and village pub. It is also madness, for a town the size of Tonbridge to be left with just one bank, and even that could change, as who's to say HSBC won't shut up shop as well.
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More... (https://baileysbeerblog.blogspot.com/2022/10/dont-bank-on-it.html)