Bank bosses have been told Moray communities will fight tooth and nail against their proposed branch closures.
Senior representatives from Lloyds Banking Group, the parent company of Bank of Scotland, paid a visit to the region yesterday to discuss their proposals.
They faced a grilling from locals and politicians over proposals that would close banks in both Keith and Lossiemouth.
The latter would be deprived of what is its last permanent bank.
Bank of Scotland has blamed changing trends in banking and a reduction in customers walking through the doors of branches.
They have, however, been told that the timing of their decision makes no sense, with the coastal town ready for an influx of armed forces personnel, with the UK Government making a massive investment in RAF Lossiemouth which will lead to the population there growing.
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Lossiemouth Community Council vice-chairwoman Carolle Ralph hopes for a positive outcome but vowed to continue to fight for the banks even if it is not favourable.
She said: “We told the bank representatives that a stay of execution would be in order and that we have the backing and full support of the community.
“We are concerned the decision has already been made but we put it to them that we are worried about the social and economic impact of losing our final bank.
“We put forward a strong argument to retain the bank, as Lossiemouth continues to grow, with new housing being built, the RAF expansion and a new school being built.
“Fourteen new businesses have opened up in the town over the last three years so we have a strong argument and made it clear to them.”
Moray as a whole has lost 40% of its banks in recent years but Lossiemouth retains a population of about 8,000, which will rise by at least 2,000 when the RAF expansion takes place.
Mrs Ralph is adamant that the whole community will battle the closures, much like they did when RAF Lossiemouth was threatened was threatened with closure in 2010.
She said: “Someone needs to stand up for banks in rural communities and we have made it clear we will battle them.
“Lloyds Bank made a profit of £5.3 billion last year and considers themselves socially responsible so if they are making money why not invest it in small communities?”
Moray MP Douglas Ross attended the meeting and vowed to continue the fight to keep the banks open.
He said: “I reiterated the Defence Secretary’s call to save the last bank in Lossiemouth.
“It seems an act of folly to pull out of a community which is about to be boosted by a massive investment which will generate substantial demand for their services.
“Just ahead of the meeting the Bank of Scotland responded to my initial letter to them following the announcement, basically saying they have made this decision and they are not going to change their minds.
“It’s ridiculous they felt able to say that before even listening to community and business representatives.
“I am in no doubt that they were left with a very strong message that these banks are hugely important to both Lossiemouth and Keith and the bank should recognise and change their decision to close these two branches.”
Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson has already intervened and he too called on the Bank of Scotland to reverse its plans to close the Lossiemouth branch.
Moray MSP Richard Lochhead praised the local representatives for “powerfully” getting their point across.
He said: “We are seeking a stay of execution with the banks remaining open until 2020 to give the community the opportunity to use it or lose it.
“I do hope the meeting today wasn’t a case of the Bank of Scotland just sitting in a room with us, but that they listened carefully to what was said.”
Banker’s response
A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: “We always welcome the opportunity to hear the views of the local community.
“We will carefully consider all the points raised at the meeting held with the MSP and MP, representatives from the community council and local business leaders.
“The difficult decision to close these branches was made in response to changing customer behaviours, which resulted in them being used less often.
“We recognise the importance of continuing to serve our customers locally, and plan to introduce a new mobile branch service which will visit both areas multiple times each week, giving customers access to banking services such as making deposits, withdrawing cash and paying bills.”
A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: “We always welcome the opportunity to hear the views of the local community.
“We will carefully consider all the points raised at the meeting held with the MSP and MP, representatives from the community council and local business leaders.
“The difficult decision to close these branches was made in response to changing customer behaviours, which resulted in them being used less often.
“We recognise the importance of continuing to serve our customers locally, and plan to introduce a new mobile branch service which will visit both areas multiple times each week, giving customers access to banking services such as making deposits, withdrawing cash and paying bills.”
