Politicians urge firm to re-think
The shock news of Bank of Scotland’s decision to close its Dunblane branch has attracted a strong response from local politicians from across the party divide.
It comes on the back of growing frustration about the loss of a number of bank branches across the Stirling area in recent years as banks make a transition towards online services - including the closure of the RBS branch in Dunblane back in 2018.
Among those urging Lloyds to reverse their decision are a pair of councillors from the Dunblane and Bridge of Allan ward.
Green councillor Alasdair Tollemache said: “This is extremely bad news for Dunblane.
“A community the size of Dunblane should have a bank. Many people depend upon its services especially those not able to do digital banking.
“We must all work together to stop this closure. I am writing to the bank expressing my dismay at this decision and asking that they have an urgent meeting with representatives of the community.
“It’s vital that the bank stays open and people are not forced to travel to do their banking.”
SNP representative Graham Houston labelled the decision to move the latest branch out of the town as“outrageous”and started calls for a central banking hub to be set up in the town.
He said:“I think it is outrageous that a town of almost 10,000 people, the second largest settlement outside the City of Stirling, is to be left without banking facilities.
“Bank management claim that people are doing more online banking and that may be so but it is also the case that there is always a queue of people in the bank waiting to be served.
“The slow withdrawal of banking services not only hits the people of Dunblane who for various reasons are not able to easily travel to other places to avail themselves of a banking service it also hits our small business owners who will now have to find alternatives for banking cash.
“Having to travel longer distance just adds to the time, cost and security. Over the years Dunblane has lost the Royal Bank and the TSB and it was hoped that the Bank of Scotland would maintain a presence in the town.
“I will be calling on banks to work collaboratively, get together and provide a central banking hub within Dunblane where customers of several banks can be provided with a face to face service.”
Tory MSP Alexander Stewart, who represents Mid Scotland and Fife, said the move appeared to be a“knee-jerk costcutting exercise”from Lloyds.
He said:“The news of this confirmation that the Lloyds Banking Group are to close Dunblane’s Bank of Scotland is nothing short of a travesty for Dunblane.
“This town with a population nearing 10,000 people has been immensely loyal to the Bank of Scotland and indeed many residents and businesses will have invested a great deal in the company over the years, so this impending closure will feel like a kick in the teeth for them.
“Our residents and businesses will have forged solid working relationships with branch staff over a period of many years, plus with a great deal of Dunblane’s residents being retired, some will neither want to, nor be able to travel out to other branches such as in Alloa or Stirling, for example.”