BLAENAU Ffestiniog’s county councillors have issued an impassioned plea to HSBC to save the town’s last bank.

Gwynedd councillors Annwen Daniels and Mandy Williams-Davies have sent the banking giant an open letter detailing what makes the town unique and why it is essential they reverse their decision to close the branch.

The letter is summarised in two simple, but significant, questions.

They ask: “Our question to you is: why, oh why snatch from us an integral financial service suitably located in our small community, without discussing your plans?

“Why withdraw a local service which offers employment to local people, in the language that their forefathers spoke?

“We’re sorry to inform you HSBC, your online banking service cannot offer these things to the people of Blaenau Ffestiniog and the surrounding areas.”

The two councillors make several points about how the town’s public transport service is “at best, patchy” and that a portion of the population does not own a vehicle making visiting another bank branch very difficult.They also raise several points about the unique situation in the Ffestiniog area and why online services are not a sufficient replacement for a bank.

They write: “Accessing the internet in some homes is weather-dependent, in others tree branches hamper the lines, whilst some areas are so rural, they may be fortunate to even have a telephone line service – what will they do if the bank were to close?

“Additionally, the language that the majority of people live, work and play through in Blaenau Ffestiniog is Welsh. English, to many people, is a second language.

“Communication is crucial in our thriving little community and the loss of the bank could severely impact on this.

“Blaenau, historically, has been subject to economic hardship, but in recent years, community innovation, social enterprises and entrepreneurial individuals are changing the tide of the sea. Our small town is thriving, with tourism, community innovation and thrill-seeking adventure activities proving a huge boost to Blaenau economically. Please do not put that at risk without even considering our unique position.”

In response, a spokesperson for HSBC said: “We have been in contact with Gwynedd Council about a meeting and have been waiting for them to put forward possible dates, but will now make contact with Cllrs Annwen Daniels and Mandy Williams-Davies to try to set a date.

“We never take the decision to close a branch lightly and we are working with those who use these branches to help them understand their options, which include being able to use local post offices for their day-to-day banking.

“We have conducted a thorough review of the Blaenau Ffestiniog branch and taken the difficult decision to close it. We continually review our branch network to make sure our branches are in the right locations for our customers and we have a sustainable network for the future. Over the past five years, we have seen an overall reduction in footfall at our branches of more than 40 per cent, and sometimes we have to make the difficult decision to close branches.

“HSBC has a dedicated Welsh-speaking customer service telephone number 03457 030304 or 03456 082400.

“We would urge any customers who believe they will experience any issues in accessing banking services as a result of the closure to contact us directly so we can work with them to find a solution.”