
The bakery and deli are long gone. The Post Office went last year. Now Aylesford Village is about to see the closure of its HSBC branch much to the anger and disappointment of local residents. Already village business owners and residents, and those who travel from Eccles, Burham and Wouldham villages to use the branch, have protested outside the branch and got petitons signed. Last week I and other councillors from the Parishes and Borough wrote to the Chief Executive of HSBC urging him to reconsider closing the branch. The text of the letter is as follows:
“As the prospective Conservative MP for Chatham & Aylesford and the local councillors representing the communities most affected, we are very disappointed to learn that HSBC has decided to close its Aylesford Village branch.
The branch services a wide area including Aylesford itself, the surrounding remote villages of
Wouldham, Eccles and Burham and the Royal British Legion Village, a residential area run by the
legion for Second World War veterans and other ex-Armed Forces personnel. With no other bank branch nearby, it goes without saying that HSBC currently provides a vital service to residents and businesses in the local area and its closure will see a further decline in local village
life, an outcome that seems contrary to your big budget marketing campaign as the “local bank”.
We therefore urge you to reconsider your decision to close the Aylesford Village branch as soon as possible so that residents and businesses can continue with their financial matters without disruption”.