TSB closure: MSP urges bank to re-think Leven branch closure plans

The call comes from Jenny Gilruth, MSP for the town who said it made no sense as the town prepared to welcome the first direct trains for 50 years. She branded the bank’s decision “a devastating and bitter blow for Leven's High Street.”

The branch is one of nine slated for closure in September, with the TSB blaming a shift to online banking - but it will leave people who want to use a branch with a seven-mile journey to Glenrothes. Leven High Street has already lost its Royal Bank of Scotland and Clydesdale Bank branches in recent years, diminishing the service to local people who don;t want to bank online. Unite, the union representing TSB workers, has also urgently called for the bank to re-assess its decision to cut off services and support staff members unduly impacted.

Ms Gilruth said: “At a time when excitement is rising within the community for the opening of the Levenmouth Rail Link in a matter of weeks, this alarming news comes as a devastating and bitter blow for Leven's High Street.”

“Not everyone is comfortable accessing online banking services and many rely on in-person exchanges with staff. It is incredibly disappointing that my constituents in Leven will be excluded from local services and forced to seek alternative options further afield.”

“It is paramount we protect essential workers and safeguard vital facilities, like banking provision, in our local communities during a cost-of-living crisis. With the new rail line due to open in a matter of weeks, it is essential that we protect and improve our High Street services and shops, so that everyone can benefit as a result of the better connectivity to Leven.”

The MSP said she has written to TSB officials urging they “carefully reconsider the detrimental decision to withdraw vital services for the Levenmouth community.”

The bank said there had been “a clear shift to digital banking,” and that 96% of all TSB transactions now take place outside of a branch. “In a statement, it added: “We have seen a 43 per cent fall in the number of customer transactions across our branch network over the last four years.”