A NEW closure date for the Moffat Bank of Scotland has been revealed.
The town centre branch was earmarked to shut on June 4, but Dumfriesshire MP David Mundell and MSP Oliver Mundell have managed to secure a five month extension.
And yesterday they confirmed it will now close on November 19.
It comes after the political pair held “robust discussions’ with bank bosses this week.
David Mundell said: “It was a very robust conversation but as far as they are concerned it’s a done deal and they are moving on.
“It’s just the usual story about the numbers of people using branches. “My view is that Moffat is the centre of the South of Scotland and we would have thought there was a strategic reason to keep a branch there.
“The new date is a realisation that putting other arrangements in place might take a bit more time.”
The MP is angry the latest raft of closures, which also includes Annan and Sanquhar, will mean there will be no Bank of Scotland sites in the whole of his Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale constituency.
“There will be no banks at all in Annandale and Eskdale,” he further pointed out. “It shows the lack of commitment from the banks to rural areas.”
The Mundells also received confirmation the cash machine will stay in situ, but as the bank does not own the branch building they are unsure about that pledge long term.
“We have seen before there’s no long term guarantee,” added David.
