Larkhall’s last bank branch, Bank of Scotland, is due to close and residents are preparing to demonstrate against the loss of this vital service.
Residents are planning a peaceful demonstration for Thursday 11 December at 10am, meeting at the Lighthouse on King Street in the centre of the town.
A petition to save the bank has gathered over 2,000 signatures: https://c.org/Qdp2TRbdYL
Larkhall Plan Partnership chairperson, Nancy Barr, said: “folk in the community are hugely concerned by this closure. It will leave us with no bank in the town and only one cash machine at one end of the main street.
“The most vulnerable people will be the most affected by this decision including older people and people experiencing poverty.
“Larkhall’s high street is a popular shopping destination for people from nearby towns who know they can come here and access a range of services, including a bank. On top of that, hundreds of new homes are being built and so the town’s population is growing – how can the closure of this critical service be justified?
“We understand that banking is changing, but leaving a town with a population catchment area of 25,000 and growing, and an increasing elderly population who don’t do digital, has to be questioned. Alternatives should have been put forward and we are disappointed Bank of Scotland have not engaged with the Larkhall community when making this decision.
“We don’t believe this decision, and the wider impact it will have, has been thought through and we urge Bank of Scotland to conduct an independent review into the closure to bring transparency to the decision.
“We must raise our voice and fight for the services we rely on. We invite everyone in the town to join our peaceful demonstration, sending a message that crucial services cannot be removed without consultation with local people about their needs, and due consideration of the resulting impact.”
We are asking people to please sign up to the peaceful demonstration to indicate numbers: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScWvB18EpHuIACrmw7Ham10AyUr7u1oHYtRnGvD2aRcz0dENw/viewform?usp=dialog
Local MSPs have raised the planned closure of Larkhall’s last remaining bank at Holyrood as politicians from all parties outlined their opposition to the loss of local branches across the country.