Andrew has received notification from TSB that it has planned for the closure of branches in Aboyne, Alford and Banchory. Andrew is writing a joint letter along with Alexander Burnett MSP and has also replied to TSB demanding a meeting to discuss further.
Updates on this issue will be provided as soon as is possible at every stage. Andrew has pledged to fight against these closures and will do what he can to try and prevent them.
Message from TSB received 30/09/20
I am writing to inform you of our decision to close 3 TSB branches in your constituency, which I have detailed below.
This decision is part of our three-year business strategy announced in November 2019 and is a response to the marked change we see in the way customers are using our services, with a growing shift towards digital banking and a reduction in the number of customers using branches.
The proportion of transactions processed by TSB through digital or automated channels has increased to more than 90% in June 2020 and around 70% of sales are now through digital channels. The rate of customer registrations for TSB’s mobile banking app has trebled from just over 1,200 before lockdown to almost 4,000 every day, even after lockdown eased.
The difficult decision to close these branches was informed by detailed local analysis which can be found in our branch closure impact assessments. These are available in the branches and at https://www.tsb.co.uk/our-branches/.
Despite the closures we retain a close relationship with the Post Office which will enable our personal and business banking customers to carry out a number of day-to-day banking tasks and a full list can be found here.
I have set out details on the usage and the changes that we are making for each branch in your constituency below:
Aboyne
- The Aboyne TSB branch has 3 customers using it regularly each week.
- 85% of our personal banking customers and 87% of our business customers at the branch have visited another branch or used other forms of banking such as mobile, web, or telephone banking.
- 65% of our personal banking customers and 72% of our business customers at the branch have used online, mobile or telephone banking.
- The nearest alternative branch is Inverurie which is 27.0 miles away.
- However most day-to-day banking tasks can be carried out at the local Post Office which is under 0.1 miles away.
- The nearest cash machine is under 0.1 miles away.
- The branch will close on 20 January 2021.
- As this branch is a freehold branch if there is a delay in selling the property following the closure, we will look to offer the premises to local charities for short periods of time, subject to local need.
Alford
- The Alford TSB branch has 8 customers using it regularly each week.
- 82% of our personal banking customers and 84% of our business customers at the branch have visited another branch or used other forms of banking such as mobile, web, or telephone banking.
- 61% of our personal banking customers and 72% of our business customers at the branch have used online, mobile or telephone banking.
- The nearest alternative branch is Inverurie which is 17.4 miles away.
- The local Post Office is under 0.1 miles away.
- The nearest cash machine is under 0.1 miles away.
- The branch will close on 9 February 2021.
- As this branch is a freehold branch if there is a delay in selling the property following the closure, we will look to offer the premises to local charities for short periods of time, subject to local need.
Banchory
- The Banchory TSB branch has 14 customers using it regularly each week.
- 85% of our personal banking customers and 85% of our business customers at the branch have visited another branch or used other forms of banking such as mobile, web, or telephone banking.
- 64% of our personal banking customers and 72% of our business customers at the branch have used online, mobile or telephone banking
- The nearest alternative branch is Stonehaven which is 16.7 miles away.
- The local Post Office is under 0.1 miles away.
- The nearest cash machine is under 0.1 miles away.
- The branch will close on 16 February 2021.
- As this branch is a freehold branch if there is a delay in selling the property following the closure, we will look to offer the premises to local charities for short periods of time, subject to local need.
Our focus ahead of the closures is on helping affected customers to adjust to this transition, particularly the most vulnerable. We are very conscious that some customers may feel left behind by the pace of change in banking. That is why we have programmes in place to provide extra support to those customers who rely on branch banking the most and why we are working with stakeholders to find new ways to support customers and the communities we serve including:
- Tailored one-to-ones for customers that regularly use the branch to help them continue to perform day-to-day banking tasks in the local area.
- A guide explaining ways our customers can continue to bank with us, which we will share with customers and which is available online.
- Our Telephone Banking service is available to customers and will be able to provide support and guidance in transitioning from their local branch.
- And where we cannot provide the support the customer needs, we will help them to switch to another bank.
