Britain's Bank Branch Network Halves: Lloyds Closes 245 as Consolidation Accelerates

UK bank branches have contracted from 9,000 in 2015 to under 5,000 today. Lloyds Banking Group's 245 closures across 2026–2027 lead parallel cutbacks by NatWest, Barclays, and HSBC. The retreat raises critical questions: how will Britain serve non-digital users, maintain cash handling infrastructure, and distribute the burden of a shrinking physical network?