SUTHERLAND is set to become the first county in Scotland to be bankless after the final village branch shuts down next year.
Bank of Scotland bosses dealt a hammer blow to one of the country’s most remote communities yesterday by announcing the closure of their branch in Golspie on February 4.
It will leave some residents facing a 100-mile round trip to visit their nearest branch in neighbouring counties.
The bank blamed a 47 per cent drop in in-person transactions over the past five years.
But the move was described yesterday as a ‘bitter blow’ for the 13,000-strong population of Sutherland.
Sutherland will become Scotlands first bankless county with the closure of the Bank of Scotland branch in Golspie in February
Scottish Conservative MSP for Highlands and Islands Edward Mountain said: ‘While the way people bank is changing, many elderly and vulnerable customers still rely on having access to a branch on their own doorstep and will be badly impacted by this closure.
‘Rural communities in particular - which have poor mobile and online connections - continue to be abandoned by major banks, which has a knock-on effect for the local economy.’
The county has had just the one bank since the Clydesdale announced it was closing its branch in Brora in 2019.
The Golspie branch of the Bank of Scotland will now cease operations as it winds down over the next five months.
It will be replaced by a ‘community banker’, a bank officer who will have set hours in a space within in a local public building.
Lloyds Banking Group manager Neil Moore confirmed the closure in a letter to East and Central Sutherland councillor James McGillivray.
He said: ‘Many customers now choose to bank through their mobile app, online, or over the phone, and as a result visits to our branches have fallen.
‘The number of transactions by our personal customers using this branch have decreased by 47 per cent over the last five years and business transactions have fallen by a similar amount.’
Mr Moore added that the bank ‘must respond to the changing behaviours of our customers’ and that before reaching the decision a ‘thorough assessment’ of the alternative services available had been made.
He said: ‘When the branch closes, customers can continue to manage their money on our mobile app, online, by calling us, or in person at the local post office, or by visiting our community banker.’
But the decision has raised concerns over the impact it will have on the elderly and disabled, who could be forced to make the hour-long trip into Inverness to find their nearest bank.
Since 2015 the area has seen the loss of seven banks in Dornoch, Lairg, Helmsdale, Bonar Bridge, Tongue and Lochinver.
Age Scotland’s Policy Director, Adam Stachura: ‘Considering how heavily digital banking services are pushed and promoted, it’s no surprise that footfall in branches has fallen. But those who do visit in person really need that service. The digital option just isn’t an option for everyone.
‘Those who rely on branches most tend to be older, disabled, or on low incomes, and may not find it easy to travel to the next available branch to do their banking - particularly in more rural and remote areas such as Sutherland where this return journey could take hours.’
He said that a third (34 per cent) of over 65s in Scotland mainly bank in person and that access to branches and the ‘digital route’ was ‘inaccessible’ for 31 per cent of those in this age bracket as they feel ‘uncomfortable with the idea of online banking due to a fear of fraud, lack of trust in online banking services and lack of necessary IT skills’.
Mr Stachura added: ‘These are all legitimate concerns which must be taken into account by banks when considering the needs of their customers.
‘Banks really must do more to support customers who can’t bank online, or just aren’t comfortable doing so, as it risks cutting them off from managing their finances independently.’