Shock for Thurso as TSB announces branch closure plan
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TSB is to shut its branch in Thurso in a move that has been described as a shock for the community.
The bank will close its Traill Street premises in April 2022 as part of plans to axe 70 branches across the UK.
Ron Gunn, chairman of Thurso Community Council, said it would be "a real worry" for customers who don't do online banking and declared: "This is yet another example of the continuing centralisation of local services, all to the detriment of the people of Caithness.”
It means there will no longer be a TSB branch in Caithness after the bank pulled out of Wick in March this year.
The bank says there has been declining branch use and increasing numbers of customers switching to digital banking services.
TSB will provide a "pop-up" service in Thurso. Details have still to be confirmed but it will operate only one day a week.
Mr Gunn said: “This announcement has come as a shock. The TSB, and before that the Aberdeen Savings Bank, has always been seen as our local bank.
"The closure will have serious consequences for many folk in the town and surrounding area. I feel great sympathy for elderly folk like my mother, who has banked there for more than 60 years and hasn't a clue how to do online transactions.
"This closure is a real worry for any customer who normally banks over the counter with the TSB and now means there will be no actual TSB banks in Caithness.
"A 'pop-up' alternative has been mentioned but we will need to wait and see what this will mean for TSB customers."
Announcing the closure programme today, TSB said it had seen a significant decrease in branch use, with the average number of transactions per branch falling since January 2019 and "no prospect of branch transactions returning to pre-Covid levels".
More than 90 per cent of customer transactions are now carried out digitally, it pointed out, and video banking accounts for over 90 per cent of mortgage appointments.
The branches that will close carry out around a third fewer transactions than the TSB national average. There is also a post office or free-to-use ATM within a mile of each closing branch, the bank added.
TSB’s chief customer officer Robin Bulloch said: “Closing branches is an incredibly difficult decision to take, but we have to respond to the changes in the way people bank and provide the right mix of services for all our customers now and into the future.
“These changes allow us to maintain an extensive branch presence across the country. They are accompanied by a significant investment programme to upgrade branches to better suit customer needs.
"And, where it takes longer to get to the nearest branch, we will introduce more pop-up services in communities.”
TSB says all staff impacted by the changes will have the opportunity to move to an alternative role.
The Thurso branch is scheduled to close on April 21, 2022.
Thurso is one of 10 locations where pop-up services will be introduced. At these, TSB advisers will provide face-to-face support, provide product information and help customers get started with digital banking.
When asked about details of the location and opening times of the Thurso pop-up facility, a spokesman for TSB said: "We will be taking views from local partners to identify a suitable location, which will be available one day per week. Details of the opening hours will be confirmed nearer the time."
Following the closures, TSB will have 220 branches and will remain the seventh largest branch network in the UK.
The bank says additional support will be provided to vulnerable customers, "including one-to-one advice on their banking needs, such as digital skills training and alternative ways to bank". They will also be contacted personally in advance of a branch closure.
Jamie Stone, the MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, said: “It is deeply disappointing to see yet another bank branch shutting its doors in Caithness. I will be engaging with TSB officials at the earliest opportunity to ensure their replacement ‘pop-up’ service is best placed to serve the needs of the local community.
“This announcement is another stark reminder that we need the UK government to move more quickly on establishing banking hubs, to ensure that remote and rural communities in the far north retain permanent access to vital banking services.”
Maree Todd, the MSP for Caithness, Sutherland and Ross, said she would be expressing her concerns directly to TSB’s chief executive officer.
“I’m extremely disappointed to hear that TSB has decided to close its Thurso branch," Ms Todd said. "This comes as a big blow to the community and I know many of my elderly constituents, in particular, will be concerned by this news.
“While digital banking may be a preferred option for many, it can be exclusionary and isolating for those who depend on in-person banking. I’m afraid the bank’s commitment to offering ‘pop-up’ services one day a week fails to recognise the needs of the community and local businesses.
“On behalf of my constituents in Thurso, I will be writing to TSB’s CEO, Debbie Crosbie, to express my concerns over the bank’s decision to close its Thurso branch.”
