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Bank to woo Polish immigrants with bilingual branches
Last updated at 00:22am on 12.01.07
Polish spoken here: in response to the influx of workers, Lloyds TSB is expanding its service
Banking giant Lloyds-TSB is to convert a number of branches to offer specialist services for Britain's fast-growing Polish community.
In a UK first, the branches will have signs, brochures and account opening forms in Polish. Dubbed 'international finance superstores', they will offer services both to existing British customers and a wide range of nationalities.
However, the main focus will be to serve the thousands of Polish workers who have jobs in this country over the past two years.
Lloyds-TSB will staff the branches - the first has opened in Manchester - with Polish people who can speak to new customers in their mother tongue.
The development is the latest evidence of how a surge in economic migrants from other parts of the EU, particularly Eastern Europe, is changing British society.
The influx has had an impact on churches, hospitals, schools, the building industry, hotels and catering together with other aspects of community life.
The UK's supermarkets have even begun to stock Polish delicacies such as stuffed cabbage leaves, pickled cucumber and tripe soup.
Some local newspapers have gone so far as to bring out special Polish editions for the new arrivals.
More than 400,000 workers, including up to 265,000 Poles, have come to Britain legally in the last two years since their countries were accepted into the EU.
Many are working as plumbers, bricklayers and in other trades where there were shortages and in which they are highly skilled.
The arrivals have allowed employers to find staff but British workers have complained that wages are being held down and they cannot find a job.
The Lloyds branches involved will continue to serve their existing British customers in the normal way, with all the normal account information and marketing material in English.
However, the branches will undergo a make-over to provide signs, information and staff who speak Polish.
Poles approaching Lloyds to set up accounts will be directed to one of the specialist international branches.
Foreigners wanting to open an account will only have to show one form of ID such as a passport or EU identity card.
British customers usually have to show photo ID and a utility bill. But Lloyds making an exception for those who are new to the country and so unlikely to have a bill with a current address.
Lloyds surveyed 1,000 Polish workers about to move to the UK ahead of the launch of the new branch and found 21 per cent were worried about how to manage their finances. With 80 per cent wanting a British bank that spoke their language, Lloyds saw the opportunity to cash in on a massive growing market for new customers.
Stuart Rumney, director for the bank in Manchester said: "Our new European Retail branch will really help to take the fear factor out of opening a bank account for customers new to the UK.
"There is a clear demand for a tailored banking service and to meet this demand we have been adapting our procedures.
"In particular we have focused on making the account opening process as straightforward as possible for all our customers."
It emerged earlier this week that the pressure from an influx of children from East European families immigrants has forced a council to draw up plans to build four new primary schools.
Bradford council in West Yorkshire, where nearly 5,000 workers arrived last year, is one of many local authorities experiencing a shortfall of places in inner-city areas.
The city has the second highest birth rate of any part of Britain outside London, and coming on top of that, immigration has left its school system struggling, it said.
One in five primary school children across the country are now from an ethnic minority. As a result, some councils have been faced with massive bills to fund extra support such as interpreters.
Schools in places as far afield as Wrexham in Wales, Slough in Berkshire, Peterborough have reported difficulties in coping with demand from Eastern European families.
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Reader views (4)
The important thing with this article is that they are changing the documents needed to open an account. At the moment, it is almost impossible for a new immigrant from any country (even English speaking ones) to open bank accounts as they don't have utilities bills, so this is a great step.
As for the language issues... having travelled in Europe and Asia, I have often found forms in both the national language and English, so I don't really see what the big deal is.
- Victoria, London, UK
I agree with Kay. And I do NOT expect any signs in English when I am abroad in a non-English speaking country thank you. I believe 'When in Rome do as the Romans do'. It works both ways you know. Not all of us are chavs who expect the rest of the world to speak English and I do care when a company just trying to make more money is hindering the incentive for immigrants to learn English in England. Of course one company is not going to make a big difference, but its the precedent that it sets that is a little concerning. If I choose to work in France I don't expect the forms to be in English for heaven's sake - and I'm fluent in French by the way, because I care about things like that.
- Isabel, Woking, England
Typical small-minded 'English' comment Kay. I bet you'd expect someone to speak English or see an English sign if you were abroad wouldn't you? Probably something like we serve "egg and chips 'ere"
A few signs in Polish are hardly going to limit integration and incidentally Poles have been living as integrated citizens in the UK since the end of 2nd World War. This new influx will adapt accordingly with time just as previous generations before them, so what difference does it make if we give them a little foot up the first rung of the ladder to help them?
- Andy M, London, UK
This doesn't exactly encourage integration does it? Anyone coming to this country should do what they can to learn English, but there'll be no impetus to do that if we put up signs in Polish.
- Kay, London
