BARCLAYS has said its ‘relationship still stands’ with its Okehampton business customers, despite the decision to close the town branch in May.

Devon and Cornwall community banking director Michael Watts made the assurance at a recent meeting of Okehampton Chamber of Commerce.

He told members of the town’s business community: ‘The branch is going to close, that’s a given, but our relationship still stands with all of our small business customers.

‘One of the things we want to make sure of is that Okehampton as a town thrives and survives.’

Mr Watts and colleague Simon Pollard, north Devon business manager for Barclays, were speaking to members at the Chamber of Commerce meeting held at Waitrose in Okehampton on March 15.

Mr Pollard said: ‘Very little of that business ever takes place in a branch. Most of what we do, particularly for businesses, is out and about in the community, on people’s premises.

‘We know that everything being equal we wouldn’t close in the town, that it is isn’t good for the town or other businesses, we understand that, but we want to leave a legacy for the town.’

Members at the Chamber meeting said they were worried about having to pay cash at the post office when the branch closed.

‘If you take a thousand pounds over a weekend, then you want that in your bank account,’ said Rebecca Webb of Appledore Touring Park.

Members also queried the high cost of taking electronic payments from customers, which the Barclays representatives suggested as a way of avoiding having too much cash.

Rebecca Green, who runs gift shop Mooplehog on West Street, said: ‘Electronic payments are a nightmare for a small shop owner because of the charges.’

Mr Pollard said customers would often spend more in a shop if they would take electronic payment, and that the amount of cash in circulation generally was down by 20 per cent.

‘Businesses are not geared up to take these payments. If you are not getting set up to take these payments, then you are going to lose out to the shop next door. Lots of people these days walk around with very little cash in their pockets. Non locals would expect these days to be able to pay a transaction without cash.’

Mrs Green said she agreed tourists wanted to pay electronically. ‘With locals, though, I’ve seen something more interesting. In the last six months people have gone back to using cash.’

She asked the Barclays representatives to supply Chamber members with a list of their charges for business customers.

Mr Pollard said that Barclays could work with business customers individually to get them the best deal on electronic payments. They also flagged up their service for collecting cash from people’s premises.

Barclays in Okehampton’s Red Lion Yard is due to close its doors for the last time on Friday, May 11. NatWest is also shutting its Okehampton branch in June. The closures will leave just two banks in the town, Lloyds and TSB.