An Aberdeenshire village is to lose its second bank in a year, it was announced yesterday.
The Royal Bank of Scotland has confirmed it will shut its Alford branch on September 10 – just a year after the Clydesdale bank closed.
Last night local residents voiced their disappointment at the move – which will leave just the part-time TSB – and raised concerns about the impact it will have on the “heart of the village”.
RBS said the number of transactions at the branch had fallen by 21% in the village since 2011. A spokeswoman said only 25 customers used the branch on a regular weekly basis.
Last night local councillor Alastair Ross said it was “very disappointing”.
He said: “We’re reliant on banks. So many people use online banking and plastic, but having banks in the village is important for some.
“Several businesses have been broken into in Alford lately, and they need a safe place to keep their cash. It’s going to make it harder and harder.”
Mr Ross pointed to the bank’s 2010 pledge not to close branches if they were last in town, adding: “TSB is technically the last bank in town, but it’s only open part-time. It’s just a race for the exit now.
“We’ve got to do something – we can’t let it happen.”
Last year, more than 500 people signed a petition as part of a campaign to keep the Clydesdale bank open, but it closed its doors in July.
Alford resident Gill Young, who was behind the campaign, said: “The banks and post office are the heart of the village. We’re already struggling with a lack of footfall – a lot of people shop outside the village and then come back home, we need to keep them in the village but if the bank goes it will be another thing to make them go elsewhere.”
The RBS spokeswoman said arrangements had been made with the local post office to allow customers to access some services, and that a consultation would also be held about a mobile branch service.
She said: “We are committed to following the UK Government protocol on branch closures, and we have made the decision following careful consideration of a wide range of factors including branch usage and the alternative ways our customers bank with us locally.
“We are writing to all of our customers who use the branch, as well as displaying posters in branch to let them know of the closure. Between now and the closure date, we will engage with all of our customers, local businesses and the wider local community to make sure they are aware of the alternative ways of accessing their banking with us in the local area, and to answer any questions they might have.”