Uddingston’s branch of the Bank of Scotland is to close in May after parent company Lloyds banking group announced a series of 136 high-street closures across the country in the next 14 months.
The Main Street bank will close its doors on May 22 due to declining use, with officials saying the number of transactions in the branch has halved in the past five years.
Customers are instead being encouraged to use mobile app, internet and phone banking, and are being directed to the alternative Bellshill branch three miles away, banking services at Uddingston’s post office on nearby Church Street and the closest free ATM across the street at Morrisons Daily.
The Uddingston branch closure review document, published on the bank’s website as part of the closure process outlines that counter and immediate deposit machine transactions reduced by 51 per cent in the five years from July 2019 to July 2024, with business customer use down 59 per cent, and use of the cash machine respectively dipping by 38 and 28 per cent for the two groups.
A total of 672 customers had made transactions at the branch in four of the six months up to July 2024 – with the bank’s analysis also stating that 84 per cent of those had also used phone, internet or other branch banking in the same period.
Bank officials say the closure decision was made after considering branch use and changing trends, site visits including assessing local public transport, reviewing broadband availability and the impact on customers including those who are vulnerable or need extra support.
Bank officials said: “Most customers are now using our mobile banking app, internet banking or calling us instead, which means they are using branches much less. Because of this, we’ll be closing our Uddingston branch.”
Announcing the 14 closures in Scotland, the bank added: ”All colleagues who work at these branches will be offered a role at another branch or in another part of our business.”
Community representatives have also been contacted for feedbank, including Citizens’ Advice, Post Office groups and constituency parliamentarians Stephanie Callaghan MSP and Michael Shanks MP.
The forthcoming loss of Uddingston’s branch of Bank of Scotland follows the 2024 closures of the Lanark, Lesmahagow and Strathaven branches.
It will leave the bank with four South Lanarkshire branches – at Hamilton, Larkhall, East Kilbride and Rutherglen – and six North Lanarkshire locations in Airdrie, Bellshill, Coatbridge, Cumbernauld, Motherwell and Wishaw.
A Bank of Scotland spokesperson said: “Over 20 million customers are using our apps for on-demand access to their money and customers have more choice and flexibility than ever for their day-to-day banking.
“Customers can also use telephone banking, visit a community banker or use any Halifax, Lloyds or Bank of Scotland branch, [and] do their everyday banking at over 11,000 branches of the Post Office or in a banking hub.”
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