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Santander to close 40 branches in 2026: is yours on the list?
In 2025, the bank shut 95 branches across the UK
Grace is Money editor at Which?, on the hunt for ways to help people save with smart tips, deals and hacks. She was named Personal Finance Journalist of the Year 2025.
Josh is an award-nominated journalist with nearly a decade of experience, including writing for national newspapers. A data whizz, he specialises in covering personal finance and investing.
Santander has confirmed it will close 40 branches in 2026, with a further four set to shut in early 2027.
In 2025, the bank shut 95 branches across the UK. The latest closures will see affected sites replaced by Community Bankers, who will provide face-to-face support in local venues such as libraries, community centres and banking hubs.
Here, Which? outlines the Santander branches due to close in 2026 and 2027, and what the news means for the customers who rely on them.
Which Santander branches are closing in 2026?
Santander is closing 33 branches in England, five in Wales, four in Northern Ireland and two in Scotland.
Most of the closures are scheduled to take place between April and May 2026. Four branches are expected to close by the end of January 2027, with these later dates dependent on a new banking hub being confirmed in the area.
The table shows the locations and proposed closure dates of the affected branches.
*Locations where a banking hub will open. Branch closure dates are dependent on Cash Access UK confirming premises for the banking hub.
What else is Santander changing?
Following the closures, Santander says its branch network will include 305 branches, made up of 244 full-service branches, 36 reduced-hour branches and 19 counter-free branches. It will also operate six Work Cafés and more than 100 Santander Locals.
Santander Locals are used in areas where a branch has closed and a banking hub is not required. They are based in community venues such as libraries or community centres and are staffed by Community Bankers who visit on set days to provide face-to-face support.
The bank says it will continue to invest in its remaining branches and digital services, including refurbishing branches and expanding its Work Café network.
Santander says customers will continue to be able to bank at more than 11,000 Post Office branches and at shared banking hubs, with all branches due to close located within around 1.4 miles of a Post Office.
Why is Santander closing branches?
Santander says the changes reflect a continued shift towards digital banking.
According to the bank, 96% of customer transactions are now completed through digital channels. It says the number of financial transactions carried out in branches has fallen sharply since 2019, including a further decline over the past year.
A Santander UK spokesperson said the bank was making changes to better support customers, adding that it would continue to invest in both its physical branch network and its digital services.
Which other banks are closing branches in 2026?
A total of 111 bank branches are due to close this year, including the following:
- 40 Lloyds branches
- 40 Santander branches
- 17 Bank of Scotland branches
- 14 Halifax branches
To find out whether your local branch is closing or has recently closed, our closure checker tool shows those shutting down in your local authority area.
What is being done to protect access to cash?
Here are some of the measures that have been brought in since we started our campaign to protect cash:
New law to protect cash
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) rules stipulate that banks and building societies will need to weigh up if local communities lack access to cash services – such as branches and ATMs – and plug significant gaps.
Specifically, they will be required to assess cash access and check whether additional services are needed when changes are made to local services, such as the closure of a local branch.
The rules also state that local residents and community groups will be able to request an assessment of whether there are gaps in local cash access, which providers must respond to. These requests can be made via Link, which operates much of the UK's ATM network and coordinates between the FCA and banks on access to cash.
Where significant gaps are found, providers will have to deliver reasonable additional cash services.
In such cases, banks and building societies will be required to keep facilities such as branches and ATMs open until alternative cash services become available.
- Find out more: how Which? campaigned to protect cash and won
Post Office services
Since January 2020, customers of certain banks have been able to use Post Office branches to withdraw and deposit cash in their accounts and make balance queries. Most banks will also allow you to deposit cheques.
This service, described as a 'lifeline' by the Post Office, means that people can still access essential services, even if their local bank branch has shut.
Cashback
This initiative allows people to request cashback at the till in their local convenience store without needing to make a purchase or pay a fee.
Link’s ‘cash at the till’ service has become a popular way to access cash in shops, with £5.5m withdrawn each month. Customers can withdraw any amount from 1p to £50, depending on their account balance and the cash available in the retailer’s till. Notes and coins are available.
