Banking group asked to reconsider Balivanich branch closure
BBCLloyds Banking Group has been asked to reconsider its plans to shut a Bank of Scotland branch in Balivanich in Benbecula.
The UK's biggest banking group in the UK, which announced the closure last month, said it offered a range of options for people to manage their money.
Western Isles local authority, Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, said the move would affect communities across Benbecula and Uist.
It has raised concerns about the loss of jobs, the removal of 24-hour cash withdrawals and connectivity issues affecting digital banking.
The branch is due to close on 1 July.
Lloyds Banking Group has said its customers want to bank in the way that worked for them, and it offered "more choice and ways to manage money than ever before".
A spokesperson said more than 21 million customers used Lloyds' apps as their main way to bank.
But the comhairle's leader Paul Steele said: "The bank's assumption is that their customers can simply transfer to digital banking.
"Given long‑standing challenges with digital and mobile connectivity I do not agree with this position.
"Digital alternatives remain inaccessible or unreliable for a significant proportion of the Bank of Scotland customer base in Uist and Benbecula, many of whom are over the age of 65 and rely on in‑person banking services."
In a letter, Steele has asked the group to reconsider the closure, or explore the possibility of opening a community banking hub.
Hubs have opened in other parts of Scotland, including in Wick in Caithness following the closure of the town's last bank.
The town's Bank of Scotland branch shut in June last year.
Since 2018, it lost its Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), Clydesdale Bank, TSB and Virgin Money.
The hub is run by a not-for-profit organisation and funded by major UK banks.