The high street in a bustling Midlands town is set to lose a major banking presence this spring, as Halifax confirms the closure of its Bearwood Road branch in Bearwood. The doors will shut for the final time on Monday, March 2, leaving local customers to seek alternative ways to bank.
The National Trend of Branch Closures
This local closure is part of a sweeping national programme by the Lloyds Banking Group, which encompasses Halifax, Lloyds Bank, and Bank of Scotland. The group has announced it will shutter a total of 71 branches across its brands throughout 2026. This includes 40 Lloyds Bank, 14 Halifax, and 17 Bank of Scotland locations.
The decision is attributed to a fundamental shift in customer behaviour. A spokesperson for Lloyds Banking Group explained, "The way people are banking has changed, with over 21 million customers choosing apps to manage their money." They emphasised the expansion of alternative services, stating customers can use any of the group's other branches, the Post Office, designated banking hubs, or over 30,000 PayPoint locations for cash deposits.
Bearwood Closure in Context
The Bearwood closure follows a wave of immediate shutdowns, with Halifax branches in Deal, Hastings, and Skipton closing in late January. The retreat from physical banking is accelerating across the industry. In total, more than 100 bank branches are scheduled to close in 2026 from banks including Lloyds, NatWest, Santander, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland.
Since a major voluntary agreement was established in February 2022 to assess the impact of closures, a staggering 2,065 branches have either closed or announced closure plans. This equates to an average of at least one branch closing every single day. The LINK initiative monitors these closures to protect vulnerable customers and small businesses during the transition towards digital and cashless services.
Full List of Announced Halifax Closures
The confirmed closure dates for Halifax branches are as follows:
- Deal – January 22
- Hastings – January 22
- Skipton – January 26
- Horsforth – February 2
- Birmingham Bearwood – March 2
- Peterlee – March 3
- Camborne – October 7
- Buxton – Spring Gardens – October 13
The closure of the Bearwood branch marks another significant change for the local high street, reflecting the ongoing transformation of how communities access financial services.
