Lloyds Banking Group has announced plans to close another 136 high-street branches across the UK, with 61 Lloyds, 61 Halifax and 14 Bank of Scotland sites scheduled to shut between May and March 2026.
The move follows the bank seeing that more and more customers are conducting day-to-day transactions via digital platforms, with over 20 million people now accessing Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland services through apps.
Employees affected by the closures will be offered alternative positions within the group, which is expected to have 756 branches remaining by the end of March next year—down from its current total of around 932.
A Lloyds spokesperson emphasised that the shift to online banking provides “more choice and flexibility than ever”, though critics warn of the broader impacts. Michelle Lawson, director at Lawson Financial, labelled the closures “a potential death knell for the high street”, warning that local footfall could suffer and negatively affect independent businesses. Similarly, Albion Financial Advice director Dariusz Karpowicz pointed out that while the decline in branch usage is inevitable in a digital era, banks risk excluding elderly and vulnerable customers who depend on face-to-face services.
This latest announcement underscores an accelerating trend away from physical branches in the UK banking industry, with more institutions relying on digital channels to cater to evolving consumer habits.
