Bank of Scotland owner Lloyds has resumed plans to close 56 branches across the UK, including 15 north of the Border.
The move to shutter branches across the Lloyds, Halifax and Bank of Scotland brands will impact 160 jobs, though Lloyds said there will be no compulsory redundancies. It comes after the group cut more than 1,000 jobs earlier this month.
The move has been criticised by the Unite union, which described the decision as “unjustified and damaging”.
“The pandemic has highlighted the vital role our local bank branches play in providing an essential service to the community,” Unite national officer Rob MacGregor said.
READ MORE: Bank of Scotland owner back in black but says outlook uncertain
“These closures don’t just cut a vital service from communities but also force customers to travel further to stand in larger crowds of customers queuing outside busier branches.”
Lloyds had shelved the 56 branch closures earlier this year while it focused resources on helping staff and consumers cope with the onset of the coronavirus crisis.
“We paused these closures due to the Covid-19 pandemic and, after careful consideration, these planned closures will take place in March and April 2021,” a spokeswoman said. The branches were all initially identified to close over a six-month period starting from April of this year.
The full list of Scottish branches due to close:
Auchterarder, Perthshire
Balfron, Glasgow
Dalry Road, Edinburgh
Greenside, Edinburgh
Liberton, Edinburgh
Tollcross, Edinburgh
Galston, Ayrshire
Grantown-on-Spey, Morayshire
Huntley, Aberdeenshire
Killin, Perthshire
Kinross
Livingston
Loanhead
Tullos, Aberdeenshire
Turriff, Aberdeenshire
Hotel closures snowballing in Scotland
AN INCREASING number of hotels in Scotland are deciding to shut their doors until the New Year as customers rush to cancel bookings in light of tightening coronavirus restrictions.
Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, said travel restrictrions mean many hoteliers have "no option but to close" for the rest of this year, regardless of which level of restrictions they are under.
READ MORE: Hotel closures gain pace as virus restrictions bite
Scottish house prices rise by biggest jump in two years
THE average price of a house in Scotland has increased by its largest annual amount since October 2018.
Fresh figures from Registers of Scotland (RoS) show that house prices rose by 4.3 per cent in September, compared to the year before. The average house now costs £161,510, a increase of 4.4% on the month before.
READ MORE: House prices Scotland: Biggest jump since 2018
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