Lloyds Banking Group: financial business to close major UK office handling fraud and customer service - news
- Lloyds Banking Group plans to close its major Speke office in Liverpool, affecting around 500 staff
- The closure is part of a strategy to create ‘fewer, better-equipped’ offices and cut costs
- Approximately 420 employees will be asked to relocate to Lloyds’ Chester office
- Union officials have criticised the decision as unnecessary and harmful to staff and the local community
- The Speke office, known as Estuary House, is a significant contact centre handling fraud and customer services
One of the UK's largest financial institutions has announced plans to close one of its large offices later this year, affecting approximately 500 employees.
The decision is part of Lloyds Banking Group’s broader strategy to operate “fewer, better-equipped” offices as part of its cost-cutting measures.
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Hide AdWhile the closure does not involve direct job cuts, around 80% of workers based in Speke are working remotely or will be working remotely when the building closes, it said.
But 20% of the remaining workers currently at the Speke office – around 100 staff – will be asked to relocate to its Cawley House office in Chester.
The Speke office is considered a major facility within the company, and serves as a large contact centre handling fraud and customer services.
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Hide AdThe building, known as Estuary House, offers over 75,000 square feet of floor space and includes 505 car parking spaces. The closure of the site is expected to have a substantial impact on both employees and the local region.


Around 80 other workers based in Speke are working remotely or will be working remotely when the building closes. Union officials have described Lloyds Bank's decision to close the Speke office as a “huge mistake.”
Unite national officer Dominic Hook said: “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 Lloyds Banking Group to open an alternative Liverpool office is completely unjustified and damaging.”
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Hide AdA Lloyds spokesman 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.”
In January last year, the group unveiled plans to cut approximately 1,600 jobs across its branch network as part of a broader restructuring.
Earlier this month, it announced additional changes, confirming that customers of Lloyds, Halifax, and Bank of Scotland can now access in-person banking services at any branch within the group, regardless of the brand.
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