Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Spotlight shines on bosses of bank
Coatbridge MP Hugh quizzes on axed branches
Hugh Gaffney joined fellow MPs in quizzing representatives from Royal Bank of Scotland over their nationwide closure programme.
The Coatbridge politician is a member of the Scottish affairs select committee at Westminster and posed questions about job losses and impact on communities at Wednesday’s evidence session.
He told the Advertiser: “It just seemed their feedbank was that people don’t use banks regularly and that everybody’s online – but it’s another closure on the high street and those facilities and skills being taken out of the community.
“There was no consultation before any announcement that they’d be closing branches, and there’s an arrogance that their customers won’t leave them.
“We spoke about how rural areas will be missing out on having a bank. They also said there will be 158 jobs lost but that’s full-time equivalent, and the reality is more like 280 or 300 people.”
Airdrie’s RBS branch on Graham Street will close in May as part of the programme of 62 closures across Scotland which was announced last month, due to changed customer behaviour and a decrease in branch footfall.
The Coatbridge branch is unaffected; but a further three in Mr Gaffney’s constituency – at Chryston, Bellshill and Tannochside – will also shut down.
He added: “As well as banking facilities, it’s about people being able to get help with their finances and talking to someone to get advice they can trust – if there’s no bank in an area, where do you go?”
Committee chair Pete Wishart MP said the cross-party group was “disappointed and frustrated with the unsatisfactory appearance of RBS executives”, saying: “They seem to not be listening to the deep concerns from communities right across Scotland.
“It’s clear that RBS did not consult with anyone over their plan to close a third of their branches; they do not seem to appreciate how important easy access to banking services is to individuals and businesses.”
The Federation of Small Businesses ( FSB) also made a submission, calling for an examination of “the true scale and economic impact of all branch closures in Scotland” – noting that North Lanarkshire has also lost Clydesdale Cl and Airdrie Savings Bank Ba branches in recent years.
FSB Lanarkshire leader Andy Ai Aird said: “Cash is still consumers’ most frequently used payment method and firms can’t deposit ca cash using an app; closures hi hit firms with additional costs [w [which] would undoubtedly affect pr productivity.”