Clydesdale's cash access must be protected

Lanark and Hamilton East MP Angela Crawley has written to the chancellor in light of the TSB closure in Lanark and the Bank of Scotland’s even more recent decision to close its Carluke branch.

According to data from LINK – the UK's largest ATM network – from August 2018 to December 2021, the area also saw 17 per cent of its free-to-use ATMs vanish.

As a result, people are being forced to travel further for access to cash or forced to pay to withdraw their own money.

Angela is calling on the UK Government to bring forward planned legislation to protect access to cash as a matter of urgency.

In 2019, the Access to Cash Review highlighted the need for government bodies and regulatory authorities to work together.

The Treasury published a consultation document on access to cash in July 2021. Its proposals included granting the Treasury powers to require certain firms, such as retail banks, to guarantee deposit and withdrawal facilities within certain distances. The results have not yet been published.

Angela said: “The chancellor must urgently bring forward measures that the UK Government have promised to implement.

“Several concerned constituents have contacted me. No one should be charged to access their money but the loss of bank branches and free-to-use ATMs is hurting the most vulnerable, at a time when the cost of living is spiralling out of control.”