Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for a Fairer Powys, Matthew Dorrance, has called for a meeting with HSBC officials following the announcement of plans to close the bank’s Brecon branch.

Cllr Dorrance, who sits on Brecon’s town council alongside his duties as a county councillor, believes that the mooted plans to close the branch would be a “bitter blow for many residents and businesses” alike.

The Welsh Labour politician has now written to HSBC officials, asking for them to meet with him to explore how they can keep the branch open.

An email from Cllr Dorrance to HSBC officials stated: “HSBC has already closed branches in Powys and the proposed closure of the Brecon branch will further erode access to cash, banking services, and face-to-face support in rural mid-Wales.

“Therefore, I would be grateful if representatives from HSBC would commit to meeting with me and my colleagues representing Brecon to discuss the impact of your proposal further and explore how you can commit to keeping this local branch open.”

The closure of Brecon’s HSBC is one of 114 of its UK premises set to shut down due to the rise in online banking.

But Cllr Dorrance has stated that the decision to close the bank and support remote banking be a “bitter blow” to residents of rural communities like Brecon.

Commenting on the news that HSBC intends to close its Brecon branch Cllr Matthew Dorrance, Leader of Powys County Council’s Welsh Labour Group said: “The closure of banks disproportionately affects rural communities and HSBCs plans will be a bitter blow for many residents and businesses who rely on their banking services.

“Access to cash and face-to-face banking services are important for many in our community, so I have asked representatives from HSBC to meet me so that we can discuss the impacts of their proposals and how they can work to keep the Brecon branch open.”

These comments have followed similar remarks from fellow politicians Fay Jones and David Chadwick, who both criticised the plans to close the HSBC Brecon branch.