Lloyds Banking Group to close office in Liverpool employing 500 people, with more than 400 being forced to relocate to Chester. Tony McDonough reports
More than 400 Liverpool-based employees of Lloyds Banking Group will be forced to relocate to Chester as it announces plans to close the site in 2025.
Located in Speke in south Liverpool, the office currently employs 500 people. 80 of those employees work remotely and will be unaffected. However, the remaining 420 will have to commute to the Chester office.
A Lloyds spokesperson said: “In line with our commitment to enhancing our property estate, we are creating fewer, better-equipped, modern and sustainable offices to suit the future of our business.
“As part of this, we are building hubs and communities in key locations across the UK to help deliver on our strategy.”
This decision is part of a wider £4bn strategy announced by the banking group in 2022. It aims to digitise its operations to cut costs and improve returns. As part of that it has already reviewed 2,500 jobs, and in 2023 embarked on a round of job cuts.
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Representing the staff, Unite national officer Dominic Hook said: “The proposed closure of the large Lloyds Banking Group centre in Liverpool Speke is a huge mistake.
“The impact on the hundreds of staff and the region will be significant and is wholly unnecessary.
“The impact of the longer commute to Chester for colleagues is huge. While some workers in Speke do currently work from home, a substantial number still do need to travel into the centre for work.
“The refusal of LBG to open an alternative Liverpool office is completely unjustified and damaging. Poor communication of the site closure has added insult to injury, with management telling staff of the decision by email.”