The society's first Worcestershire branch opened on 21 September in the old Co-op Funeralcare. Lloyds and Halifax shut on the same street in May 2025.
A branch has opened on Bromsgrove High Street rather than closed on it. Dudley Building Society opened at 23 High Street, B61 8AJ on Monday 21 September, its first branch in Worcestershire.
The premises are the old Co-operative Funeralcare shop. The society says the layout is “a break away from the traditional banking hall layout”, turned into what it calls a community hub rather than a counter and a queue.
It is the first new financial branch on the street since two banks left it sixteen months ago.
What the street has lost since May 2025
Every bank branch closure and service cut in the UK now triggers a published LINK cash access assessment. LINK’s register records three for Bromsgrove, all within five weeks of each other:
- Halifax, 122 High Street, closed on 29 May 2025
- Lloyds Bank, 112 High Street, closed on 29 May 2025
- Santander, 93 High Street, reduced its number of counters from 30 June 2025
In each case LINK decided nothing needed replacing. All three assessments “stopped at Step 1”, the stage where LINK only checks what already exists within a mile and never goes on to assess the impact on vulnerable customers or on businesses. Its conclusion each time was that it was “not recommending the provision of any new cash access services in Bromsgrove at this time”.
The facilities it counted as already there were a post office, a bank branch, a withdrawal ATM, free personal deposit and withdrawal, business cash services and, in all three assessments, a building society. LINK never names the providers it counts, but the building society on the High Street at the time was Nationwide, at number 52, which is still open.
What the branch actually does
This matters, because a building society branch is not a bank branch and the society is clear about the difference.
The branch will “support customers with savings enquiries and help connect those with mortgage needs to a suitable mortgage broker”. So savings are dealt with in the room; mortgages are a referral to a broker, not advice over the desk.
Opening hours, from the society’s own branch page:
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday: 9am to 4pm
- Wednesday: 9.30am to 4pm
- Saturday: 9am to 12pm
- Sunday: closed
The society adds that the branch is busiest between 9am and 1pm and quietest between 3pm and 4pm. The phone number is 01527 900769. The branch manager is Ashley Pattison.
Dudley Building Society is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the PRA. Its Financial Services Register number is 161294.
The community side, and what to watch
The society is promising more than a shopfront, and it has put a date on the first test of that.
- A community launch event is planned for 5 October.
- Its mentoring programme, Prosper, is a free 12-week scheme for 18 to 25-year-olds who are not in education, employment or training, pairing them with local business leaders. The society says it will run it from the Bromsgrove branch.
- A series of workshops is planned on how people feel about the high street and what they want from the town.
- Schools will be invited to take part in activities about the future of the high street.
Simon Dodd, head of products and marketing at the society, said: “Being at the heart of a community means more than opening a branch on the high street though. We need to earn our place by playing an active role in the community beyond the financial services we provide.”
One note on timing. When the society announced the branch on 19 November 2025, its chief executive James Paterson called it “an exciting first step into Worcestershire” and the opening was set for spring 2026. It opened in September, roughly six months later than the date first given.
Bromsgrove joins branches at Bridgnorth, Brierley Hill, Dudley, Gornal Wood, Kingswinford and Perton.
What it means for you
- If you want to open or manage a savings account in person, this is a new option on the High Street, six days a week. Go between 3pm and 4pm if you want to avoid a queue.
- If you want a mortgage, expect a referral to a broker rather than advice at the branch.
- If you are 18 to 25 and not in work, education or training, the Prosper mentoring programme is free and runs for 12 weeks. Ask at the branch or on 01527 900769.
- If you are going to the launch on 5 October, remember Stourbridge Road car park has now closed. The nearest all-day council car parks at £6 for ten hours are North Bromsgrove, School Drive, Parkside and New Road.
- If you think cash access in Bromsgrove is inadequate, LINK will review an assessment if you write to accesstocash@link.co.uk within 28 days of its decision and give it information it did not have. The Bromsgrove assessments were published in January and March 2025, so those windows have long closed, but any future closure starts a new one.
Related
- Parking in Bromsgrove: every council car park and what it costs.
- Bromsgrove car park closed: where to park and what it costs: the 71 spaces lost on 24 September.
- Local businesses in Bromsgrove: our directory of the town’s shops, pubs and services.
- Bromsgrove house prices: the district average, by property type.
Sources
- Dudley Building Society, Dudley Building Society opens new Bromsgrove branch, 21 September 2026, for the opening date, the former Co-operative Funeralcare premises, the break from the banking hall layout, the savings and mortgage-broker wording, the Prosper programme, the workshops, the schools activity, the 5 October launch event, branch manager Ashley Pattison and the quote from Simon Dodd.
- Dudley Building Society, Bromsgrove branch page, read 24 September 2026, for the 23 High Street address, the B61 8AJ postcode, the 01527 900769 number, the opening hours and the busiest and quietest times.
- Dudley Building Society, announcement of the Bromsgrove branch, 19 November 2025, for the spring 2026 target, the “first branch in Worcestershire” description and the quote from James Paterson.
- LINK, cash access assessments register, read 24 September 2026, for the three Bromsgrove entries, their addresses, postcodes and dates. The individual outcome documents (Lloyds, Halifax, Santander) give the Step 1 outcome, the list of facilities counted and the review process.
- Nationwide Building Society, 52 High Street, Bromsgrove branch page, read 24 September 2026, for that branch still being open.
Written from the society’s own published announcement and branch page and from LINK’s published assessments, all read on 24 September 2026. Opening hours change; check before you travel.
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