OLDER people in Cumnock could be left in the lurch according to a concerned resident who says more needs to be done to improve banking accessibility in the town.

Over the past few years, Cumnock has gone from having four bank branches to now only having the Bank of Scotland branch on Townhead Street, with the Royal Bank, TSB and Clydesdale all having closed their facilities in the town.

The Chronicle recently reported on the approval by East Ayrshire Council officials of a ‘change of use’ planning application to convert the former Clydesdale premises in The Square into a restaurant.

But there are no plans yet for the former TSB and Royal Bank premises, which, like the old home of the Clydesdale, have lain empty since the banks moved out.

One resident whose elderly grandmother used two of the former branches, has said that the older generation are struggling to come to terms with these changes, and that more needs to be done to improve accessibility.

They said: “My grandma is in her late 80s and she’s been used to going to the banking branches for years.

“Over the past couple of years, she’s had to go to Ayr or Kilmarnock to actually speak with someone from her bank, which isn’t ideal at her age.

“When you see the news that plans are going forward for one of the banks to be transformed into a restaurant, you just think to yourself ‘what’s the point?’.

“Cumnock has one bank and about 10 restaurants and eating bits, so where does it stop?

“I dread to think how many older people are out there in a similar position and constantly worrying about getting to a bank.

“Some other places have these mobile banks that you see, but we never even seem to get anything like that.

“Obviously the younger generation are okay, they can use mobile banking, but it seems like the older generation are being forgotten about a bit, which is a sad thought.”

The former Royal Bank and TSB premises in Cumnock are both owned by East Ayrshire Council, and the local authority says it’s working on a plan to bring the former Royal Bank building back into use.

A spokesperson for the authority said: “On October 23, 2019, Cabinet agreed expenditure from the economic regeneration and development fund towards bringing the former Royal Bank of Scotland building back to a lettable standard.

“The council is working with a local interested party and is in the process of preparing a tender for the council’s portion of the works required.

“The former TSB bank at 31 Townhead Street, Cumnock is available to rent.”