The UK and Scottish governments were under pressure last night to step in and help Highland Council save rural banking services.
North MP Jamie Stone backed the local authority’s plan to consider moving some of its service points into empty bank premises, and also adapt existing facilities to “support local banking activity”.
But the Scottish Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross said it was “unfair for the burden to fall solely on already overstretched councils”.
Highland Council’s idea was revealed in a report released this week by Highlands and Islands Enterprise on the impact of bank closures.
It said the local authority was “in the process of considering” how its service points in 32 towns and villages could be used to help fill the void left by axed bank branches.
And the report said it “might be possible” to adapt its cash services at some of these points “as a means to support local banking activity”, and that the council had also said it “might explore the possibility of taking over the premises vacated by the banks to use them as service points”.
Last night, Mr Stone said: “We need to explore all proposals to ensure that businesses and people still have access to money and banking services.
“I applaud Highland Council for speaking with people who actually live in the far north and recognising how critical cash is to the day-to-day functioning of the local economies and the communities.”
He added: “It is unfair for the burden to fall solely on already overstretched councils.
“Both the Scottish and UK governments ought to be exploring what can be done to deliver these services in rural areas and how they can support innovative proposals like this.”
A UK Treasury spokesman said: “The decision to open and close branches is a commercial decision taken by the management team of each bank.
“The government does not intervene in these decisions. But we understand the impact that closures can have on communities and people’s jobs.
“Banks must now give customers as much notice as possible when a branch is closing, and ensure they are made aware of the options they have locally to continue to access banking services.”