Market Harborough will lose its NatWest branch in January

NatWest Bank is to close its Market Harborough Branch in January, reports the Leicester Mercury.

The decision has been condemned by the president of the Market Harborough Chamber of Trade and Commerce. Kyra Williams told the Mercury:

"We've got a market here and not all of our traders actually use digital banking.

"So it does exclude a large cohort of especially small businesses. I think the Government needs to intervene, really, and force banks to provide a physical network of banks that people and small businesses can use.

"Because I think it is going to be a problem, unless we move to a cashless system there are always going to be people who do need physical banks."

It seems there's not much enthusiasm among small business for turbo-capitalism along the lines of the Truss/Kwarteng model.

On the same page, you can hear the views of the local Liberal Democrat councillor Barbara Johnson.

My mother banked with the NatWest and I was grateful it had a local branch where I could sort out things like the power of attorney in her last months. It will be harder to do things like that after the branch has closed.

And a word for that lovely little building, which must have been built for a small local bank in the 19th century.