Oliver Letwin MP joined Conservative parliamentary candidate Graham Cox on a visit to the newly refurbished Hove branch of Barclays last week.
THEY met with local branch managers to discuss how the bank is focusing on customer service to build relationships in the community.
Barclays work alongside Credit Unions and Christian debt charities to try and identify customers who may be in financial difficulty and at risk of resorting to payday loans, to try to assist them.
Staff have also recently undergone Dementia Friends training in order to be able to better understand and serve customers suffering from the disease who might otherwise struggle to manage their finances.
Graham Cox said: “Banks are vital to the local economy and Barclays alone have lent £10 million to small businesses and start-ups across Sussex in the last 12 months. What I was most impressed by, though, is how the staff at the Hove branch are working hard to support people in different ways, and building trust and relationships.”