NEWS of banks such as Barclays taking branches away from their customers has prompted thoughtful letters including the latest (Like bus service cuts, case of 'use or lose', Craven Herald, February 1).

Things go in unforeseen ways. I wonder if it's on the cards - and far from naïve or idealistic - that there might be a social reaction against the assumption that it's right to get rid of face to face contact whenever possible?

I don't know how long the scrapping of railway ticket offices has been staved off for, but the outcry did win the day. Voices are raised elsewhere, too, pointing out that being nice to people is all right, is indeed useful for businesses. A lot of good businesses like treating people well, I'd say.

In the language style of such announcements, Barclays says it will 'stay in your community'. People can still 'talk to us in person' but place and opening times were still to be settled (at that time) and such incidental bank services as handling cash are being ditched.

As we know, various other entities - public services as well as things like banks - can be found to have upped sticks altogether. Meanwhile moves towards sops such as shared 'hub' premises might show that executive bosses can be shamed into small gestures of alleviation of their withdrawal of services.

Are we starting to turn and to show that a corporate culture of reluctance to meet the customers might be misguided?

It's about all of us. People who are elderly, disabled or vulnerable were heroes in the vanguard of the revolt against taking ticket offices off us, but I'm certain others felt threatened with losing out as well. And all of us are infuriated by business organisations' algorithmic, artificial intelligence systems that don't register what a point or complaint actually is but which generate fatuously bogus responses and then ask for answers to a survey about it. The kind of system that can make life difficult for, say, benefits recipients, is equally degrading when it's used on everybody else, too.

So will we shift, for example, to those building societies or banks who are already wise to the market for still being around on the street? Will we demonstrate that we like the shops and businesses that aren't afraid of seeing us on the premises? Will the tide turn?

Hugh Lawrence

Barnoldswick