Moray MP Douglas Ross has slammed a senior official from Lloyds Banking Group for refusing to attend a public meeting in Forres over plans to shut the Bank of Scotland branch in July.
Douglas had written to Benedict Brogan, the group’s Public Affairs Director after meeting with two other senior officials of the bank at Westminster. He had been left completely dismayed by their lack of response to concerns over the closure, so had called on the senior leadership team to come to Forres to a public meeting.
Mr Brogan has now written back to Douglas rejecting the idea of a public forum to meet with Moray constituents. That has led Douglas to say the bank are “running scared” and “failing to show any leadership” over access to banking facilities in the town.
He says that the bank are completely “out-of-touch” with communities like Forres and clearly didn’t want to tackle tough questions from concerned constituents head-on.
Moray MP Douglas Ross said: “This is another shameful response from the Bank of Scotland. They had a perfect opportunity to come and meet the public in Forres and hear their concerns over the planned closure, which will leave the town without a bank.
“Senior officials are clearly running scared and are failing to show any signs of leadership whatsoever. They don’t understand the needs of our community here in Forres when it comes to accessing banking facilities, and they are showing no respect for their customers who have stuck with them for years.
“These services are a lifeline for our elderly and vulnerable in particular. Bosses would have heard that if they had the decency to come to Forres and attend a public forum which I invited them to.
“Their refusal is an insult to loyal customers in Forres who are hugely anxious about what the future holds in terms of accessing banking services. I will continue to push Bank of Scotland officials to face the music on this and reverse their terrible decision.”
