Barclays has announced it will close its remaining face-to-face banking services in Brecon and Llandrindod Wells later this year.

The Barclays Local service at Brecon Leisure Centre will close on November 28, while the outlet at The Hive in Llandrindod Wells will shut its doors on November 25.

Both towns lost their full Barclays branches some years ago – Llandrindod in 2021 and Brecon in 2023 - with the “Local” service introduced as a scaled-down replacement to provide limited in-person support. Barclays Local offers face-to-face help with money management, digital skills and fraud prevention, delivered through pods, community pop-ups and mobile vans, though it does not handle cash transactions.

The closures mean residents will now have even fewer options for face-to-face banking. Following the loss of Santander in Brecon earlier this year, NatWest is now the only bank left in the town.

Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe MP David Chadwick accused Barclays of “abandoning its commitments to local people.”

“These so-called ‘Local’ branches were set up precisely because rural communities were being stripped of banking services. To now close them is both short-sighted and disgraceful," he said.

“Barclays, like the other big banks, is making enormous profits while turning its back on towns like Brecon and Llandrindod.

“The big banks are walking away from their responsibilities, chasing profits while abandoning the very communities that built them up, and it is long past time the UK Government stepped in with tough regulation to hold them to account."

Mid & West Wales MS Jane Dodds also warned the closures were part of a long-term decline in access to banking across rural Wales.

“Communities across Mid Wales have seen branch after branch close in the last 15 years, and now even the Barclays Locals, which were supposed to plug the gap, are being pulled away," she said.

"People and businesses in Brecon and Llandrindod still rely on these services. Barclays cannot claim to be serving their customers while taking away basic access to face-to-face support."

The Liberal Democrats said they would continue pressing for fair access to banking in Powys and called for cash machines to be retained in both towns. The party previously secured a new shared “banking hub” in Ystradgynlais, but current rules prevent other Mid Wales towns from being granted similar facilities.

Barclays said the decision followed a review of how people in Powys were using its services.

In Brecon, the bank said 68 per cent of customers who used the Barclays Local also bank online, via app or by phone. 25 people use it regularly as their only means of speaking to staff face-to-face.

In Llandrindod Wells, Barclays said the figure was even lower, with 12 people relying on the Local as their sole contact point.

The bank said it would work with communities to understand the impact of closures and would continue providing support online and through its “Digital Eagles” tutorials and “Money Mentors” financial advice services.

It added that once feedback is gathered, the results will be published in a “closure feedback” report.

Barclays said customers will still be able to carry out everyday transactions through the Post Office, including cash withdrawals, deposits and balance checks, as well as using online, telephone and mobile app banking.