Scotland first part of UK to see over half of bank and building society branches close

Scotland is the first part of the UK to see over half of its bank and building society branches close, according to a briefing published by Consumer Scotland on 5 December 2025. The statutory body for consumers in Scotland said 722 of Scotland's 1,041 branches had closed, with another 18 due to close as of November 2025¹.

The briefing cites research by Which? for the figure. Which?'s own branch closure tracking, last updated 7 July 2026, gives a different split for Scotland: it says 751 of 1,041 branches are now gone and another eight are set to go, and that Bank of Scotland has closed 225 branches in Scotland since 2015 while Royal Bank of Scotland has shut 183². The two sets of numbers do not match, and neither publication reconciles them.

Nationally, Which? records 6,871 branch closures across banks and building societies since January 2015, at a rate of around 53 each month, representing 69% of the branches open at the start of 2015². Lloyds Banking Group, comprising Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, has closed 1,611 branches, the most of any group, followed by NatWest Group, which comprises NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank, with 1,565. Barclays is the single bank that has cut its network most, with 1,236 closures². Closures peaked in 2017 at 867 sites, and 410 closed in 2024, followed by 433 during 2025. A further 314 are scheduled for 2026 and 19 for 2027².

Consumer Scotland's briefing sets out its view of what the closures mean in Scotland, pointing to a higher proportion of remote, rural and island communities than the rest of the UK and saying the impact of closures and reduced cash access "can be disproportionately severe"¹.

The briefing says approximately one in 10 consumers in Scotland, around 500,000 people, depend on access to cash, and that access remains important for older adults, low-income households and people in rural areas¹. On the Post Office, its research found 63% of consumers in Scotland had used it at least once in the past year for financial or administrative services, 41% to withdraw or pay in cash and 23% to pay bills. Use was highest among 18 to 24-year-olds at 83% and 25 to 34-year-olds at 71%¹.

Why it matters for households

Branch closures change how everyday banking is done. Where a branch has shut, the alternatives reported are Post Office counters, banking hubs, ATMs and deposit services². Banking at the Post Office is limited to withdrawing cash from a current account, checking a balance and paying in cash and cheques, with cheques needing a paying-in slip and an extra day or two to clear; transferring money, advice and enquiries about savings or mortgages are not available there². Which? reports that 99% of retail banking customers can carry out basic banking at more than 11,500 Post Offices across the UK².

Banking hubs provide counter services run by Post Office staff for customers of banks signed up to the Banking Framework Agreement, plus private spaces for more complex enquiries and community bankers on rotation, typically open 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday². As of 19 August 2025, 178 banking hubs had opened across the UK, with more planned².

Since 18 September 2024, banks and building societies have been required to make sure they are plugging significant gaps in local cash access, assessing whether extra services are needed when local services change, such as a branch closing². Under the Access to Banking Standard, introduced in 2015, banks must engage customers and communities ahead of a planned closure and offer alternative means of banking².

What happens next

Consumer Scotland says it will publish a new report in early 2026 giving an overview of the key issues consumers in Scotland face when accessing financial products and services, including access to cash and banking services, and will share it with MSPs. It also says it will continue work on financial services in its 2026-2027 work programme, and will soon publish research on the challenges faced by Scotland's 350,000 small and micro businesses as consumers, including in financial services¹.

Which? lists 314 branches scheduled to close in 2026 and 19 in 2027².