AN MP has promised to write to a bank which has recently announced the closure of its Ilminster branch.

MP for Yeovil Marcus Fysh said he will write to Lloyds Bank after they decided to close its branch in Ilminster, which also was the town’s last bank.

A spokesperson for Ilminster Town Council said: “A meeting took place on Thursday 4 April with Ilminster’s Member of Parliament Mr Marcus Fysh.

“He has promised to write to both Lloyds and Link to express his disquiet about the closure of Lloyds Bank and the rejection of the request for a Banking Hub in a vital market town such as Ilminster.

“He has promised to investigate the increasing problem of bank closures in the rural areas and is very much supportive of the need for greater awareness of the needs of the community for cash and banking facilities.

“The town council is looking at all the different ways that it can engage with Link in an effort to bring about a change in its decision so that the community does not lose access to the banking system in Ilminster.”

Lloyds Bank said they took the decision to close its Ilminster branch as “most customers are now using our mobile app, internet banking”.

The bank announced it will no longer operate in Ilminster from August 14, 2024.

After the closure, the nearest alternative branches to Ilminster are the one in Chard, on 27 Fore Street, and the one in Taunton, on 31 Fore Street.

The nearest free-to-use ATM, however, is nearby (0.09 miles), and there are free-to-use ATMs within a mile and a half of the closing branch.

After the bank’s decision, Ilminster Town Council said the authority “will be looking to see what measures it can take to try to ensure that face-to-face banking still continues in the town”.

Link, however, who administers the locations of banking hubs, stated that Ilminster does not qualify for a banking hub due to less than 7,000 people living within a kilometre of the town centre, and less than 70 retail businesses being situated within the same radius.

After Link’s comment on banking hubs, the town council decided to contact Mr Marcus Fysh “to establish what pressure he might be able to bring to bear”.

Cllr Adam Dance, who is also the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Yeovil, is also asking the banking group to rethink their decision.