The closure of the last remaining bank branch in Lochgilphead has plunged some of its elderly residents into a state of distress, with one 84-year-old customer describing sleepless nights and profound anxiety over accessing essential financial services.
‘I couldn’t sleep when I heard the last bank would close’
Maggie Dodd, a resident of Lochgilphead, has been a loyal customer of the Bank of Scotland since 1976. The news that her local branch would be shutting its doors sent shockwaves through her routine. ‘I was distraught,’ she told BBC Scotland. ‘I mean I couldn’t sleep that first night when I realised. I thought what am I going to do?’
With her nearest branch now located in Oban, a journey of nearly an hour and 37.2 miles, Ms. Dodd expressed significant apprehension about transitioning to online banking. ‘I’m frightened,’ she admitted, citing concerns about the prevalence of online scams. ‘There’s so much of this scamming business, and I’m always worried that I’ll hit something and press the wrong thing.’
Community Steps In to Offer Support
In response to the growing unease, Ms. Dodd has partnered with her 83-year-old friend, Ina Callander, to explore banking options at the local post office. ‘I’ve been using the post office for years,’ Ms. Callander stated. ‘Maggie was really upset and I thought, why not help her? Because that’s what friends are for.’
Karen McCurry, who manages Snowdrop Argyll, a local wellbeing centre, has initiated a ‘buddy scheme’ to assist residents like Ms. Dodd and Ms. Callander. She confirmed the widespread impact of the closure, noting, ‘I had people approaching me, telling me they weren’t sleeping at night because the bank was going to close – and that’s massive.’ Ms. McCurry emphasized the centre’s commitment to finding solutions and providing support, stating, ‘We can’t change what’s happening outside a lot of the time, but we can help somebody feel a bit better about it, a bit more confident.’
Impact on Local Businesses and Services
The ramifications of the bank closure extend beyond individual customers, affecting local businesses and community services. Adriano Pia, owner of the Argyll Café, highlighted the unreliability of card machines and cash points, noting instances where customers’ cards have failed. ‘Even today we had two people whose cards aren’t working,’ he reported. ‘I’ve had times where I’ve had to tell people just to take it, so they don’t go hungry because they’re stuck.’
Scott McBride, manager of the Community Shop, voiced concerns about the charity’s insurance coverage. The inability to deposit daily takings at a local bank could necessitate extending insurance policies, incurring additional costs and increasing the risk of holding more cash on-site. ‘We either extend our insurance, and that comes at a cost, which ultimately comes with a risk as well, because we’re then potentially holding more cash on-site,’ he explained.
A Wider Trend of Bank Closures
Lochgilphead is not an isolated case. Consumer watchdog Which? reports that 742 bank branches have closed across Scotland since 2015. The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency has experienced the highest number of closures, with 30 banks shutting in the last decade. In the Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber region alone, 25 bank branches have ceased operations.
Argyll and Bute Council’s bid for a Banking Hub in Lochgilphead, a shared facility for multiple banks to offer face-to-face services, was reportedly rejected. LINK, the body assessing cash access, deemed the area adequately served by free-to-use ATMs and the local post office.
However, Anna Dudziak, the sub-postmaster in Lochgilphead, pointed out limitations in the services the post office can provide compared to a bank. ‘The problem is they’re telling people to go to the post office, saying ‘they can do it for you’,’ she said. ‘But at the same time, they set up limits for cash withdrawals, for cash deposits, for cheque deposits that we can’t do for people.’ This has led to frustration, with Ms. Dudziak noting, ‘every day we have people really, really angry and they blame the post office.’
Dougie Philand, the Provost of Argyll, expressed hope that LINK would reconsider its decision regarding cash machines and banking hubs. ‘We, myself and the community council, will keep an eye on the difficulties that people are experiencing and at least we can give the evidence and be able to say ‘look, we do need a banking hub here’,’ he stated.
Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Bank of Scotland, confirmed that the Lochgilphead branch is one of 28 Bank of Scotland branches closing this year. A spokeswoman for the group stated that they offer numerous ways to manage money, including their app, phone services, and partnerships with local post offices and PayPoint locations for cash deposits. ‘We’re giving our customers the flexibility to bank wherever and whenever they need us,’ she added.
The UK government is currently undertaking a review into access to face-to-face banking, with a report expected in October. The anxieties of residents like Maggie Dodd underscore the ongoing challenges faced by those who rely on traditional banking services in an increasingly digital world.
