Banking apps are great - but what if you don’t have a decent phone signal or broadband?
In a speech to Parliament, John Cooper, MP for Dumfries and Galloway, raised serious concerns about the accessibility of banking services in rural Scotland, calling for a review of current bank hub criteria to give more people access to face-to-face financial services.
Acknowledging the progress banks have made in digital services, Mr Cooper emphasised how that cannot alone replace physical access to banking, particularly in areas with poor mobile and broadband connectivity.
“Even if you are a silver surfer comfortable with the technology, you simply may not be able to get the relevant app to work,’ Cooper argued.
“In rural Dumfries and Galloway, we have too many ‘not spots’ where the mobile phone signal is sketchy at best, non-existent at worst.
“Similarly, there is a lack of decent broadband.”
Highlighting the limitations of the current banking services, Mr Cooper cited the case of Wigtown which is not receiving a banking hub. This despite the town having to cater to a large influx of seasonal tourism during the annual Wigtown Book Festival, whilst only having limited cash access.
“I have a stream of reports of the town centre cash machine running out of spondulicks outwith the festival, and anecdotal reports of people gathering for a trip to the nearest hub in Newton Stewart to lift their pensions.”
Mr Cooper also pointed to Dalbeattie as a glaring example of unmet banking needs. With a population exceeding 4,000 and a thriving business community, the town was still unable to secure a banking hub under the current guidelines.
“We equally cannot have one ATM expected to carry the banking needs of hundreds, if not thousands,” the local MP warned.
“On balance, too many people are being left behind in the technological revolution.”
Cooper called for a more community focused approach to modern banking, endorsing the remarks of the late American banker, Felix Rohatyn, “banking is not simply about profit but about personal
And Cooper called for the Government to revise the criteria for banking hubs - where different banks share facilities - to increase their availability.
