By Rachel Moss

Copyright metro

Opening times at 757 high street banks have now changed (Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images)

Three major high street banks have slashed their opening times, reducing the hours that millions of customers can access in-person banking.

Lloyds Banking Group, which operates Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland, announced it would be cutting hours at all 757 of its branches this week.

It’s bad news for workers, as weekday opening times have moved from 9am to 9.30am, making it even harder to nip in before you start your shift. On Wednesdays, doors open even later at 10am.

Branches are also closing earlier, with closing times that previously varied from 4.30pm to 5pm changing to either 3.30pm or 4.30pm.

It’s a bold move, considering the lack of access to a human is the nation’s biggest bugbear when it comes to financial products and services.

And opening times are even shorter at the weekend.

You’ll need to go on your lunchbreak (Picture: Getty Images)

On Saturdays, branches will now open at 9.30am instead of 9am, and most will close by 1pm or 3pm.

A Lloyds spokesperson told Metro: ‘We’re changing our branch opening hours to make it simpler and more consistent for our customers.

‘We offer more choice for everyday banking than ever before – alongside our apps, customers can visit any Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch, and use banking services at their local Post Office or Banking Hub.’

The banking group pointed out that over 21 million people now use apps from the three banks, giving them ‘24/7/365 access’ to their money.

The news comes at a time when banks are closing physical branches up and down the country, increasingly forcing local customers online.

Consumer watchdog Which? says that 6,522 UK bank branches have shut since January 2015 – around 53 every single month. Metro has published a full list of banks due to shut doors in the coming months.

Research by the All Party Parliamentary Group for Disability found that reduced opening hours and bank closures particularly impact disabled people.

‘The closure of physical bank branches has left many disabled people unable to access their banking services without severely increased travel, increased reliance on others, or changing whom they bank with,’ the report said.

‘Automated and machine-driven processes, which are becoming more and more prevalent, were by and large described as inaccessible to many disabled people, or insufficient in the services they offered.’

How to demand better service from your bank

Metro’s Money Columnist, Andy Webb, previously shared his tips for demanding better service if you can’t get hold of your bank.
1. Don’t let them ignore you
‘Going directly to the bank or provider is a good start. Let them know what’s wrong and what you want done about it. At the very least, they might offer you compensation, particularly for any problems that have left you out of pocket.’
2. Leave feedback for all to see
Another route you can take is to leave feedback and reviews on the bank’s social media channels, Google or third-party review sites such as Smart Money People.
3. Be sure to let people know the positives, too
‘If your feedback doesn’t change anything, you can use others’ feedback to find positive experiences elsewhere. Most people are motivated to leave reviews because something has gone wrong, but there are still reviews and comments on those same sites and social channels in which people shout about brands and products they like.
And you can do the same, helping others know who to go for.’

You can check the new operating hours of your local Lloyds, Halifax or Bank of Scotland branch by visiting branches.lloydsbank.com.