RBS take a check on programme of closing branches

A trade union says Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) has“opened the door for further consideration”of its closure programme – which will see the Airdrie branch shut down in May.

The bank this week announced year-long reprieves for 10 of the 62 branches earmarked to shut their doors in the coming months, mainly located in rural areas.

Unite Scotland has campaigned against the closures and welcomed the news; but officials say the“backtracking”means that all of the planned closures should now be subject to“a root and branch review, [including] intervention from the Westminster government to call the bank to account”.

Deputy secretary Mary Alexander said: “We believe that RBS has been forced to offer these concessions because of the campaign to expose the devastation of what closures mean for communities and jobs.

“But if it’s good enough to make these concessions, what is the bank prepared to do about the other 52 communities facing the axe? We remain gravely concerned about the remaining closures and will be seeking an urgent meeting with top bank officials.”

Neil Gray, the Airdrie & Shotts MP, had previously requested a meeting with RBS officials over the Graham Street branch, and tweeted following this week’s announcement:“Still waiting for a meeting for Alex Neil and I to make the case for Airdrie to stay open too.”

He previously told the Advertiser:“It’s devastating for Airdrie town centre to lose an iconic business in an iconic property on its high street.

“I’m very sad for staff who may now be at risk of losing their jobs; and like so many others, I have to question the footfall figures because whenever I have been going past the Airdrie branch, it’s been busy.”

The Scottish affairs committee at Westminster welcomed news of the 10 branches’temporary reprieves“as the first steps to addressing concerns raised”, but plan further evidence sessions on the subject with bank chief executive Ross McEwan and Treasury representatives.

A statement from the cross-party group said:“Given that there is a still an active closure programme being pursued, we remain to be convinced that the threat of serious consequences for remote or deprived communities has been removed.

“We hope RBS will continue to consider the action they have taken and listen to local communities about the impact it will have on them.”