Presenting a local petition on bank branch closures

Yesterday I presented a petition in Parliament opposing recent bank closures in Falkland, Cupar and St Andrews.

The petition was launched after plans were announced in June to close the Bank of Scotland branches in Falkland and Cupar, and the Barclays branch in St Andrews. The closures are scheduled to take effect later this year. Signed by 477 people, the petition called on the banks to reconsider the closures and emphasised that many local people and businesses continue to rely on the branches.

The announced closure of bank branches in Cupar, Falkland and St Andrews was deeply unwelcome news to local residents and small businesses, many of which still rely on cash and in-person banking.

I have met with the banks and have urged them to rethink. I have also met with LINK and the Cash Action Group to establish that access to cash will be preserved in Cupar and Falkland. However I want them to go further and look seriously at establishing banking hubs. This would secure in-person services and offer local people and businesses a greater degree of choice.