Time to call a halt: MP says Highland bank customers are treated as ‘second-rate customers’
Jamie Stone has told the UK government that banks must be forced to “call a halt” to branch closures.
The MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross says he is “sick and tired” of residents in the Highlands being treated as “second-rate customers”.
Mr Stone has written to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves following what he described as “an inadequate response” from Lloyds Banking Group over the planned closure of the Bank of Scotland branch in Golspie.
It is the last remaining bank in Sutherland and is due to shut in February 2025.
Bank of Scotland is part of the Lloyds Banking Group,
In a previous letter to the group’s public affairs manager, Mr Stone underlined the importance of face-to-face customer service to prevent potential scams and cited poor broadband service as a reason for online banking being an impracticable alternative for many of his constituents.
In response, the Liberal Democrat MP was told that customers could still access cash through the Post Office network.
In his letter to the Chancellor, Mr Stone wrote: “The value of a local bank transcends the transactional service that these big banks focus on. They are integral to the social fabric of communities – specifically rural towns and villages.
“I feel the time has come for the government to look at the way our banks in the UK continue to shut branches one after the other. Indeed, I would suggest the idea of service to customers is becoming ever more elusive.
“The government does have the power to look at what has been going on. I very much hope it also finds the means to instruct the banks to call a halt to these closures, pending a long-term solution.
“One I have long advocated for is shared banking hubs across the UK, which would be easily accessible to customers and provide that friendly human face that I refer to.”
In addition, Mr Stone has tabled a parliamentary early day motion underlining the seriousness of the issue.
He said: “I am extremely disappointed that Lloyds Banking Group has refused to reconsider its decision, and has inadequately addressed the seriousness of leaving Sutherland with no bank.
“Their neglect treats my constituents with contempt and indicates that they have no interest in properly serving their customers in the far north.
“It is utterly wrong that people living in Golspie or Wick should not receive the same assistance as people in Glasgow or Edinburgh. I am sick and tired of people in the Highlands being overlooked and treated as second-rate customers who bear the consequences of businesses’ self-serving solutions.
“I feel the time has come for the government to intervene in this matter.”
