A COUNTY councillor is urging bank bosses to reconsider closing a market town branch, saying he is ‘incredulous’ over the decision.

NatWest announced last week that it is to shut its Thirsk town centre branch on October 5 as part of 150 closures nationally.

A spokeswoman for NatWest said they had seen transactions in the Thirsk branch decline by about a third since 2011, but county and district councillor Gareth Dadd believes it remains well-used by local residents.

In an open letter penned to the chief executive of NatWest’s umbrella group, RBS, Cllr Dadd expressed his disappointment that the closure was decided without any consultation with residents.

Cllr Dadd also says that following the bank being bailed out by the tax payer in 2008, the company should remember its obligations.

He wrote: “Given that background, and the partnership that has inevitably been necessary, I find it incredulous that scant regard has been given to the needs of those very tax payers here in Thirsk with a blunt notice stating your intention to close our branch.

“The branch, on the surface, is well used locally.

“The needs of our ageing population, and general wider community, it seems to me, have not been considered, nor has the day to day banking needs of local business.”

Cllr Dadd was critical of what he called a ‘very direct and hurried’ decision to close the Thirsk bank and said that ‘scant regard’ was being shown to the distances those without internet banking will now have to travel.

He added:“Banks are a community hub and vital service, especially to the vulnerable and elderly.”

A NatWest spokeswoman said the bank is communicating with customers affected by the closure and proactively contacting vulnerable and regular branch customers.