FIFTEEN Bank of Scotland branches are to shut as the Lloyds Banking Group swings the axe on outlets across the UK.
The banking giant has confirmed plans to shut 31 Lloyds, 15 Bank of Scotland and 10 Halifax branches between April and October 2020.
It comes just a month after Tara Foley, managing director of Bank of Scotland, said it is “committed to the branch network” as it unveiled a new flagship branch in Glasgow, against a backdrop of a stream of high street bank closures across the industry.
The multi-million-pound Argyle Street refurbishment is described as state-of-the-art and includes home-buying advice, a business start-up hub, and a Social Bite social enterprise café.
Before the closure plans, the bank said it was the biggest network of any bank in Scotland, with nearly 200 branches along with a mobile branch network serving over 100 locations.
However, it has previously closed 95 branches between 2014 and 2019, while in the wider industry 396 Scottish branches across banks closed over the period in total.
Lloyds Banking Group said the new closures are part of a store reduction programme in response to changing customer behaviour and the move towards online banking.
A Lloyds Banking Group spokeswoman said: "We are committed to having the largest branch network in the UK and, in addition to our branches, all our customers can also use the Post Office to access their banking locally, alongside our mobile branches which visit many rural communities.
"We have confirmed that a number of branches will close between April and October this year.
"This is in response to changing customer behaviours and the reduced number of transactions being made in branches."
It comes as the bank continues its closure programme which affected Lloyds and Halifax sites in 2019.
In a statement, Accord said: "We fully appreciate that the demand for high street branch banking is diminishing as customers increasingly move to app-based banking but we'll be examining Lloyds Banking Group's plans to ensure that they're properly thought through and robustly evidenced.
"So far, all branch closures have been managed without compulsory redundancies and Accord expects the same outcome here.
"We'll be contacting our members who are impacted by the closures to offer support and representation."
These are the branches to shut.
Bank of Scotland:
Edinburgh Dalry Road
Edinburgh Greenside
Edinburgh Liberton
Edinburgh Tollcross
Galston
Loanhead
Tullos, Aberdeen
Livingston
Grantown-on-Spey
Turriff
Huntly
Balfron
Kinross
Killin
Auchterarder
Lloyds:
Blaby Bournemouth West Southbourne, Bristol Downend, Cheadle, Gerrards Cross, Hayle, London Blackheath Mumbles, Swansea; Nottingham Aspley, Cobham, Cowbridge, East Dulwich, Leeds Moortown, Reddish, Holmfirth, Moreton, Upton-by-Chester, Worcester St Johns, Scunthorpe Ashby, Belvedere, Newcastle-upon-Tyne Haymarket, Bristol Hanham, Acomb, Market Rasen, Colwyn Bay, Calne, Dursley, Malmesbury, Wickham Hants, Portchester, Bath Oldfield Park.
Halifax:
Billericay, Boscombe, Knaresborough, Marlow, Locks Heath, Southsea, Stoke Newington, Hull Holderness Rd, Whitton, Reading Lower Earley.
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