Protesters battling to save the Yorkshire Building Society branch in Meltham say a final decision on its future has yet to be taken.

The Bradford-based mutual plans to close the branch in Huddersfield Road in March next year as part of a programme to axe 13 branches in areas where it has several branches.

It said members using the Meltham branch would be able to use branches in Honley , Holmfirth , Slaithwaite or Huddersfield.

But a petition with 676 names on it has now been handed to bank bosses and Meltham town councillor Pam Murgatroyd along with Kirklees councillors Terry Lyons and Charles Greaves have met with senior YBS managers in a bid to persuade them to keep the branch open.

Yorkshire Building Society on Huddersfield Road, Meltham.

They met YBS public affairs manager Nick Quin and director for retail distribution Gary Fowler.

Pam said: “They were impressed with the speedy and passionate reaction they had received to the proposal of the Meltham branch closure as none of the other branch closures had caused the same stir or publicity. Although they have been receiving copies of the petition along the way I handed them the original containing 676 names and also a letter of support from our MP, Thelma Walker.

“They emphasised that this closure was still a ‘proposal’ and nothing was set in stone. In mid January they are going to hold a meeting to discuss ‘counter proposals’.

"There were discussions and negotiations regarding the staff and relocating them in other positions. I do not know what will happen, whether they will change their minds, but we had to make a stand.”

In happier times... Simon Wallace of Dementia Action Alliance with Yorkshire Building Society customer representative Gail Edwards, Lloyd Latibeaudiere, of the society's head office and Meltham branch manager Hannah Bell at Yorkshire Building Society, Huddersfield Road, Meltham.

Pam has stressed to the building society that Meltham is a small town with a population of 8,500 to 9,000, mostly elderly people and many with disabilities not able to drive and finding it difficult to travel by public transport. It could take them a three-hour round trip to get to the branches in the Colne and Holme Valleys by bus.

Pam has been inspired to pen a poem to Yorkshire Building Society chief executive Mike Regnier which states:

You obviously don’t know Meltham

With its people so friendly to meet.

Have you actually looked at the town itself,

Got yourself up off your seat?

It’s a great, not too big a town,

Small businesses all a success,

But now, without coming to meet us,

You are closing our YBS.

If you do that there’s no way of banking,

Of drawing our pensions and such.

If you think we’ll go travelling for service,

Then you don’t really know us so much.

You’ll leave us with salons for beauty

Or another place that does nails,

Or maybe another takeaway,

That’s if all else fails.

So please do not close Meltham branch,

The staff are so helpful and kind,

And none of the other ‘near’ branches

Are so easy to get to we find.

The buses are one every hour,

It’s not easy to park a car.

In Meltham, the car park is large and free

And you don’t have to walk very far.

The people who signed our petition

Feel strongly about what you do,

So why not come and meet us,

We would really love to meet you.

If you close down the branch in Meltham

We will take our accounts somewhere else.

Our loyalties lie with your Meltham branch,

Not just any old YBS.