Local Residents Face Challenges After Bank Closure
When 84-year-old Maggie Dodd learned that the last remaining bank in her town of Lochgilphead was closing, she experienced significant distress.
"I mean I couldn't sleep that first night when I realised. I thought what am I going to do?"
Maggie has been a customer of the Bank of Scotland in Lochgilphead since 1976. With the closure, her nearest branch is now in Oban, nearly an hour’s drive or 37.2 miles away. She has concerns about transitioning to online banking.
"There's so much of this scamming business, and I'm always worried that I'll hit something and press the wrong thing."
To manage her banking needs, Maggie has partnered with her 83-year-old friend, Ina Callander, to use the local post office for transactions.
"I've been using the post office for years," Ina said. "Maggie was really upset and I thought, why not help her? Because that's what friends are for."
Bank Closure and Community Response
Lloyds Banking Group, the owner of Bank of Scotland, stated that the Lochgilphead branch was no longer viable due to a majority of customers preferring online banking.
However, BBC Your Voice received concerns from residents about the closure’s impact on elderly and vulnerable individuals, as well as local businesses.
Karen McCurry, who operates the Snowdrop Argyll wellbeing centre, established the buddy scheme used by Maggie and Ina.
"I had people approaching me, telling me they weren't sleeping at night because the bank was going to close - and that's massive.
We always try to think of solutions and how to make things easier for somebody.
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."
Local Businesses Express Concerns
Adriano Pia, owner of the Argyll Café, highlighted the necessity of banks due to unreliability of bank cards and cash machines.
"Even today we had two people whose cards aren't working," he said.
"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, expressed worries about the closure’s effect on the charity’s insurance, as daily bank deposits may no longer be possible.
"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.
Bank Closures Across Scotland
Lochgilphead is among many Scottish communities impacted by bank closures. Consumer watchdog Which? reports that 742 bank branches have closed across Scotland since 2015.
The Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross constituency experienced the highest number, with 30 closures over the past decade. In Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber, 25 branches have shut.
Argyll and Bute Council's proposal for a Banking Hub in Lochgilphead, which would allow banks to share facilities for face-to-face services, was declined.
Link, the organisation responsible for assessing cash access, stated that the area is sufficiently served by free-to-use ATMs and the local post office.
Anna Dudziak, sub-postmaster in Lochgilphead, noted limitations in the post office's ability to provide banking services.
"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.
Most people understand, but every day we have people really, really angry and they blame the post office."
Community Leaders Advocate for Improved Services
Dougie Philand, Provost of Argyll, expressed hope that Link will reconsider its decision regarding cash machines.
"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 said.
The Lochgilphead branch is one of 28 Bank of Scotland locations scheduled to close this year.
A Lloyds Banking Group spokeswoman emphasized the availability of alternative banking methods.
"In addition to our app, or over the phone, customers can use their local Post Office to manage their money alongside PayPoint locations to deposit cash," she said.
"We're giving our customers the flexibility to bank wherever and whenever they need us."
The UK government is conducting a review on access to face-to-face banking, with findings expected in October.
