Santander Leeds: Morley, Pudsey and Ilkley branches set to close as bank announces 'difficult decision'
Santander has announced plans to shut three bank branches in Leeds.
The bank has announced plans to close 95 of its UK branches, putting around 750 jobs at risk of redundancy - including branches in Morley, Pudsey and Ilkley.
More than a third of Santander’s 444 branches will be affected by the closures. Following the overhaul, the bank will continue to operate 349 branches, including 290 full-service locations and five so-called work cafés.
If approved after consultations with unions, the plans could impact over four per cent of Santander UK’s 18,000-strong workforce.
A Santander UK spokesperson said: “As a business, we must move with customers and balance our investment across all the places where we interact with customers, to deliver the very best for them now and in the future.
“Closing a branch is always a very difficult decision and we spend a great deal of time assessing where and when we do this and how to minimise the impact it may have on our customers.
“However, we believe that the introduction of our new Community Bankers and the exciting plans we have for our remaining network of 349 branches and Work Cafés, alongside the rapid and innovative improvements to our award-winning mobile banking app, will provide the right balance of digital banking and human interaction when required.”
The changes come as more customers shift to online banking - Santander say digital transactions have surged by 63 per cent since 2019, while in-branch transactions have dropped by 61 per cent.
From Monday, June 30, most branches with reduced hours will open only three days a week - either Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9.30am to 3.00pm, or Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9.30am to 3.00 pm, with Saturday hours from 9.30am to 12.30pm.
18 branches will also transition to counter-free locations from Sunday, June 16. Santander has said that these branches will still have staff available to provide face-to-face support, with an average of eight employees per site.
The following Leeds branches are set to shut:
Pudsey
- Address: 5 Lidget Hill, Pudsey, Leeds, LS28 7LG
- Closure date: July 28, 2025
Morley
- Address: 91 Queen Street, Morley, Leeds, LS27 8EF
- Closure date: To be announced
Ilkley
- Address: 7 The Grove, Ilkley, Leeds, LS29 9LL
- Closure date: To be announced