Hawick MP, John Lamont, has grilled a Director of TSB in Westminster after the bank closed their branch in the town during 2021.
The closure means that their customers now must travel 18 miles to their nearest branch in Galashiels.
Mr Lamont, speaking during a Scottish Affairs Committee session on Access to Cash, queried the usefulness of the TSB pop up service held in Heart of Hawick, given that bank customers cannot withdraw or deposit cash or pay in a cheque.
He also slammed the banks for closing branches and then claiming that transactions are continuing to fall once they have withdrawn services, which they say justifies their decision. This is despite there being no branch to do these transactions once it has closed.
During the evidence session, Mr Lamont also questioned Virgin Money on their decision to close their branch in Galashiels, leaving many Borderers a return trip to Edinburgh just to go to their local branch.
John Lamont has been invited to see the TSB pop-up branch in action and will visit the service in the coming weeks.
TSB say that their Mobile Money Confidence Experts help set up online payments, or help the customer access other services through the Post Office.
The Hawick branch of TSB, previously at 11 High Street, closed on 2nd June 2021.
John Lamont MP said:
“Banking is changing. There is no doubt about that. Many young people nowadays will never set foot in a bank branch.
“Yet access to cash, and access to the help that can be provided in a bank branch, remains vitally important for many businesses and individuals.
“Figures from the consumer group, Which?, show that the number of branches in the Borders have more than halved since 2015.
“Many of these bankers who take the knife to their list of branches just do not get what it means for vulnerable customers or local businesses who are left without a bank in their area.
“Some older people who do not have access to the internet are left not knowing what to do when their bank suggests they do their transactions online.
“Frankly, it is a dreadful way to treat customers, many of whom have been loyal to their bank for decades.
“Nevertheless, I appreciate the hard work local staff put into looking after their customers and I look forward to visiting the TSB pop up in Heart of Hawick in due course.”
