Ben Langmead: Banking Hub For Bearsden

Like many people in Bearsden South, Bearsden North and Milngavie I have watched our local bank branches and cash machines close and make every day access to banking services harder and harder.

While Kulbir's at Bearsden Cross do a fantastic job at counter services many in our towns have more complex banking needs involving powers of attorney, mortgage or loan applications and other specific banking questions.

Our nearest branches are getting further away and busier because of their scarcity.

I have asked Cash Access UK for a review of our area with the aim of gaining a Banking Hub to serve our area.

In case you are unfamiliar with them a banking hub is a shared banking space on the high street. The hubs offer a counter service operated by the Post Office, where customers of all major banks and building societies can carry out regular cash transactions, Monday to Friday. The hubs also offer a community banker service where customers can talk to their own bank about more complicated banking issues. The community bankers work on rotation, with a different bank available on each day of the week. Community bankers are usually provided by the banks with the most customers in the local area.

We are now subject to a 12 week review to assess how our banking needs are being met by the current offering.

Watch this space for any developments or read about it in our Focus newsletters.