THE council plans to look at options for moving community investments from banks that intend to close their branches in the county.

Last week there was cross-party support in condemnation of plans to shut the Bank of Scotland in Alva and The Royal Bank of Scotland in Alloa.

The issue appeared as an urgent matter of business at the end of a full meeting of Clackmannanshire Council last week and elected members unanimously agreed to send a strong message.

Councillor Dave Clark put forward a motion which asked that the council "condemns the announced closures of Alva's Bank of Scotland and Alloa's Royal Bank of Scotland branches given the impact these closures will have on members of the public and the business community".

And Cllr Les Sharp's amendment added: "Council instructs relevant officers to report on possible options to transfer investments by the community to financial institutions and banks that continue to invest in our community."

During the discussion, politicians recognised the challenges that could be presented to local residents and united in opposition of the planned closures.

Following the meeting, Cllr Clark, leader of the Labour Group, criticised the decision of the corporations to abandon Clacks.

He said: "The banks really don't get it, do they? They lack emotional intelligence, they behave cynically towards the public – they take their money and, when it suits them, they go."

The SNP's Cllr Sharp, leader of Clackmannanshire Council, has issued a call to all of Scotland’s councils and public sector organisations to follow their example, by taking on the banks in the only way they understand.

He said they were reminded that the local authority is investing around £17million in the same banks that are proposing to leave the community without "necessary, long established banking services".

He added: "So the message to those banks is simple: If you are not prepared to invest in Clackmannanshire then the people of Clackmannanshire will seek to avoid investing in you.

"I’ll be talking...with SNP council leaders from across Scotland and inviting them to follow our lead and I hope that other political parties will put their communities first too.

"And it doesn’t stop with councils," he added. "Other publicly-owned organisations such as health boards, Scottish Water, SEPA, local government pension funds also bank with these people and they too should be using their muscle to influence the banks’ decisions.

"Banks understand money so I call on all of these bodies to join us in exploring how we can hit the banks, where it matters to them, in their pockets."

Meanwhile, Cllr Bill Mason, leader of the Conservative Group in the county, has highlighted the negative impact the closures could have on some in the community.

He said: "The Conservative councillors consider the proposed bank closures to be totally against the interests of elderly constituents who do not have IT skills or access to on-line services, and the large numbers of small businesses that need cash banking services almost every day.

"Recent examples of local Post Office staff under pressure to deal with cash whilst queues grow longer and more fretful will multiply out of hand when these bank branches are lost, and the fact that the Royal Bank of Scotland is planning to withdraw the last of its services from the Wee County is an insult to the taxpayers who helped save the bank just a few years ago.

"Clackmannanshire Council is probably the biggest bank customer in the county, and we fully support and urge the council officers to use their substantial financial and business powers to seek reversal of closures, and strongly register the dismay of the public and business communities within the county."