Anger over plan to close town’s Bank of Scotland branch

The Bank of Scotland in Carnoustie is to shut as part of plans to close 49 branches.

The bank said the closure programme is partly in response to changing customer behaviour and the declining number of transactions being made in branches.

Carnoustie councillor Brian Boyd said: “The Bank of Scotland has had a very long history in the town and it has always been a well used branch.

“It is so disappointing that the town is going to see another bank closure so soon after RBS pulled out of the town.

“When that happened last year, I moved to the TSB in protest at that decision.

“I would encourage Bank of Scotland customers in the town to move to the TSB because it seems that if you don’t use it, you lose it.”

Lloyds said that customers were increasingly choosing digital and mobile channels for their banking.

The closures affect Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland branches, with almost 100 jobs axed nationwide.

Angus South SNP MSP Graeme Dey said: “This is, in my view, a wrong-headed and unjustifiable decision and I am seeking an urgent meeting with management of the bank to explore it in greater detail.

“The initial justification I have received for the closure decision just does not chime with my own experience as someone who uses the branch.

“Even if there has been a 2% drop in customer visits over the past year it remains a busy branch that is greatly valued by the community, particularly those sections of it for whom using branches in Broughty Ferry or Arbroath would either be hugely inconvenient or completely impractical.”