COMMUNITY campaigners are demanding a u-turn from bank bosses on their controversial decision to pull out of the Port.

Port Glasgow West Community Council officials are angry that the Bank of Scotland, the last bank in the town, is to close for good later this year.

Greenock Telegraph:

The group say it is not acceptable that customers will now have to travel to Greenock to access banking facilities and are urging bosses to have a rethink.

Secretary Tommy Rodger told the Telegraph: "We were shocked to hear the news that the last bank in our town is to close.

"Our community council will be writing to the Bank of Scotland, asking them to reconsider their decision to close their Port Glasgow branch.

"This is a terrible decision, impacting on our town and local community on many levels.

"For our community members, many of whom are older, and only deal in cash purchases and do not have access to or use computers for online banking, this will be of great concern.

"When this bank closes, so will their ATM, limiting access to cash for our townsfolk. There are already very few ATMs in our town centre."

The community council is also concerned about the impact on local businesses. 

Tommy said: "This will also be a great inconvenience to local traders, who will then have to travel to Greenock to bank their cash receipts.

"This will create difficulties for small businesses, which only have one or two staff, and will then lose some income when they have to travel to Greenock to bank money."

The branch on John Wood Street is to close on September 10, with BOS management citing fewer people carrying out transactions at the front desk and deposit machine in favour of using their mobile app and internet banking.

But Mr Rodger believes they should think about the people who rely on going into the branch, and the wider consequences of the closure.

He said: "Over the past years, three banks in Princes Street have closed: Clydesdale, Royal Bank and TSB. This last bank closure will have great implications for our town.

"Many of the small businesses in Port Glasgow only work with cash and could lose income because our community members will have less access to cash withdrawals.

"This closure will then see a domino effect impact on the local community, and then onto small businesses."

The community council also argues that the decision is short-sighted and flies in the face of attempts to regenerate the town centre.

Mr Rodger said: "Some ten years ago, through Inverclyde Council, we had the Port Glasgow Town Centre Regeneration Forum established to maximise occupancy of shops. This bank closure will send the wrong message to potential new traders looking to set up in Port Glasgow."

Tommy says he is so angry about the situation that he may close his BOS account in protest if the closure goes ahead.

He said: "I banked with the TSB in Princes Street and when they closed their Port branch I opened an account with Bank of Scotland so that I could carry on banking in our town without the inconvenience of having to travel to Greenock.

"I will now be considering closing my Bank of Scotland account. I refuse to go to the other end of West Blackhall Street in Greenock to bank."

When the Telegraph contacted the Bank of Scotland for a comment bosses said they had nothing new to add to their previous response.

A Bank of Scotland spokesperson: “As many customers now choose to bank through their mobile app or online, visits to our Port Glasgow branch have fallen over recent years. When the branch closes in September, customers can continue to manage their money online, by calling us, visiting our Greenock branch, or the local Post Office on John Wood Street.”