HIGH street banks NatWest and Lloyds are being called to a meeting with civic leaders in Williton over fears about the future of banking facilities in the village.

As reported previously in the Free Press, NatWest – the UK's largest retail and commercial bank – announced at the end of April that it would be closing its branches in Williton and Dulverton on September 8.

The decision will leave Dulverton without any bank, with the nearest facilities for residents and businesses a 26-mile round trip to Tiverton or 34 miles to Minehead.

But this week Williton Parish Council voiced its concerns that Williton too could be left without a bank if planning approval is granted for a proposed new supermarket.

If the scheme went ahead, the village's Lloyds branch would be forced to leave its current premises, which would form part of the development.

So local councillors are hoping to meet representatives of both banks to discuss future facilities.

They also want to hear villagers' views on the situation and hope to liaise with people in Dulverton.

Cllr Elizabeth Peeks told Williton Parish Council's monthly meeting on Monday that a lot of people relied on the two banks.

"With a question-mark over Lloyds because of the supermarket, it is important that we retain at least one facility," she said.

Cllr Peeks said she appreciated that NatWest had reached an agreement with the Post Office which would allow customers to check balances and withdraw funds and business customers to get coinage.

But she said the Post Office would only be able to provide a certain amount of services.

Council chairman Cllr Robert McDonald said he was concerned that the closure of the NatWest branch was "the thin end of the wedge".

He said: "We know that most banks are looking at cutting costs and streamlining their operations and I know people can bank online.

"But this is yet another facility that is being taken away from us and we, as a parish council, have not been consulted about it."

Cllr McDonald said he used the NatWest facilities in the village at least twice a week, if not more: "I don't believe that banking online is secure – you hear on a weekly basis about people's computers being hacked.

"To me it is very worrying, from both a personal point of view as well as the loss of a village facility."

Cllr Peeks said councillors needed to meet with NatWest representatives and tell them that Williton did not want to lose the branch.

"And we need to ask villagers what they think and what they want."

Cllr Bill Vaughan said he did not believe Lloyds wanted to leave Williton because it did not have a branch in Minehead.

"It would only be the supermarket that would drive them out of the village."

And Cllr Guy Denton suggested that Lloyds could move into the building vacated by NatWest as its current premises appeared too small.

Councillors agreed to ask for meetings with both NatWest and Lloyds to discuss the situation.

Meanwhile in Dulverton, residents and businesses are about to hand over a 700-plus signature petition against the closure of the town's NatWest branch to banking bosses.

Ian Johnson, owner of the Lion Hotel, one of the main organisers of the protest, said people felt very strongly.

"Between 700 and 800 people have signed the petition, which is pretty good out of a population of around 1,600 in Dulverton and the surrounding area.

Mr Johnson said his business would be badly affected by the loss of the bank.

"I'm in there every day and I also use the night safe facility," he said.

"NatWest is part of our community and they have responsibilities to us.

"Our fight to stop this closure will go on."

When it announced the closures, NatWest said customers were increasingly using alternative ways of banking, including by phone and through mobile and online services.

It said the decision to close a branch was never taken lightly and was always based on a range of factors, including branch usage and the alternative ways customers could bank with it.

Figures released by NatWest showed transactions at the Dulverton branch had dropped by 14 per cent since 2011, with only 56 customers using it on a regular weekly basis, while in Williton transactions were said to have fallen by 22 per cent over the last three years, with just 44 customers using the branch on the same basis.