Two NRMA Insurance branches in New England will close in a month while another is on the move

Branches at Glen Innes and Moree will close at the end of March while Inverell will move to another location in town.

Glen Innes resident Debbie Pearce was shocked by the sudden closure and said she only found out by chance earlier this week.

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"I heard someone mention it when I was at the post office, so I went straight into the branch and asked them. They said they were closing at the end of March," Ms Pearce said.

"Lots of people we've spoken to in town are really surprised that it's closing.

"You would have thought that we could have got an email explaining why, but they're doing it covertly I think.

"It's just a kick in the teeth to another country town, really."

An NRMA Insurance spokesperson confirmed the closure and said the company had experienced a significant decline in people visiting branches as customers increasingly prefer to contact them online or over the phone.

"Unfortunately, we've had to make the difficult decision to close or consolidate certain branches at the end of March this year," the spokesperson said.

"We appreciate the support of our customers and communities across the region and continuing to serve and support them is a priority for us.

"We would like to thank Gaukrogers Inverell and the Gaukrogers family for their support for NRMA Insurance over many years.

"We've also thanked the proprietors and teams at the Moree and Glen Innes sites and we're grateful for the service and support they've provided our customers. We wish them the very best for the future.

"We'll be contacting our customers who have visited these sites over the past year to let them know the new Inverell location and where they can visit an NRMA Insurance branch, as well as how to contact us online, over the phone and that they can also make payments at Australia Post."

Ms Pearce said the Glen Innes branch, which employs at least four staff members, was always busy and she feared older people in the community would be left behind.

"It's always busy in there and the staff have said they spend a lot of time helping older people," she said.

"They've always been really helpful, we've tried to do things online in the past, couldn't figure it out, and ended going down there where they've done it for us.

"I believe NRMA are saying its not a growth area and they don't have enough new customers coming through the door, but that doesn't help people who have been with them forever.

"We bumped into an elderly man in town who has just had his license restricted to a 5km drive, so he can't go anywhere other than Glen Innes.

"It's frustrating when you think it's probably come down to a bean counter behind a desk and you always wonder what will close down next.

"Once these services go they never come back."

The spokesperson said NRMA Insurance branch proprietors will make every effort to redeploy impacted staff, as well as look at new employment opportunities at their branches where possible.

NRMA roadside services are not impacted by the changes.

The Inverell branch will move to 110 Byron Street while the Narrabri site remains open.

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