Highlands MSP slams decision to axe strath’s last High Street bank
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Highlands and Islands MSP Jamie Halcro Johnston has said it is the old and most vulnerable who will suffer most by the Bank of Scotland’s decision to close its branch in Aviemore.
The last standing bank branch in Badenoch and Strathspey is wet to close its doors in May.
The Bank of Scotland – last to leave our High Streets – has been working behind the scenes, local staff say, to organise an ATM which, with the help of the other banks, would offer a night safe facility as well as a dispenser.
But nothing appears to have come of their efforts.
Badenoch and Strathspey is now set to have no in-person counter services, with Bank of Scotland now also to axe its mobile service in the strath.
The decisions leave the strath without any dedicated branch, and is the culmination of a series of branch closures which have hit the area since the mid 2010s.
Mr Johnston (Scottish Conservatives) spoke out about the losses in Aviemore and Fort Augustus on Monday at the Scottish Parliament.
“These closures fail to take into account the essential needs of rural and remote communities in the Highlands and Islands, depriving them of essential banking services.
“For many local people, particularly some older residents and those who struggle to access online services, face-to-face interaction with bank staff is essential for managing their financial affairs.
“And, of course, too many people living in our rural areas are still unable to use internet banking due to unreliable or non-existent broadband connections.
“The loss of High Street branches, and the impact it is having, has been a concern for some time. I urge the banks to work together to find ways of maintaining their presence on the High Street, such as the creation of banking hubs.
“I am looking forward to visiting the new banking hub in Forres in the next few months, and solutions like this might provide some hope that banking services can be maintained on our High Streets.
“In the interim, all the banks should work together to prioritise the accessibility needs of its customers before taking decisions which see further branch losses in our communities.”
