We must keep pressure on RBS
I would like to start by saying how sorry I was to hear of the passing of Ian Campbell, the leader of Perth and Kinross Council.
Ian was an excellent council leader, who worked tirelessly for his ward and for Perth and Kinross.
I enjoyed campaigning with him over the past couple of years and am sad that he will not be here to see through the Tay Cities Deal we had been working on.
Ian’s knowledge, passion and humour will be missed by all. My thoughts are with his family.
One of the key issues impacting our community is that of the council budget.
Despite receiving £35m per annum more for Police & Fire Scotland and receiving a real term increase in the block grant from Westminster, the SNP administration in Edinburgh is still passing stinging cuts on to local councils - Perth & Kinross is no different.
It is disappointing that the SNP continue to be a roadblock to making devolution work.
Devolution is supposed to bring power as close to local communities as possible, but the SNP continue to centralise funding as well as power, and we continue to see frontline services suffer.
Instead of centralising powers and funding at Holyrood, we need to return to those principles of devolution.
As many of you will know, I have also been spearheading the campaign to keep the RBS branch in Comrie open.
Since hearing about the proposed closure I have:
• Raised the issue in Parliament, both in debates and through ministerial questions;
• Taken the issue directly to the Treasury Minister to call on the Government to object to RBS’s callous treatment of its customers;
• Written to the Lending Standards Board to ask them to review RBS’s conduct;
• Working with colleagues on the Scottish Affairs Committee to hold RBS to account through public hearings;
• Launched a petition to collect signatures from customers across Ochil and South Perthshire.
To date our petition has received hundreds of signatures, which have helped raise the profile of the Comrie branch and its importance to the local area.
It is encouraging to see direct, local action combined with pressure from Westminster, has helped change the mind of a large multinational company, and it has undoubtedly helped secure the partial reversal announced by RBS last week, with the Comrie branch receiving a stay-of- execution until the end of 2018.
However, RBS’s halfhearted announcement still does not go far enough.
I will therefore be indefinitely leaving the petition open for further signatures, so we can keep up the pressure on RBS and ensure Comrie, Alloa and Kinross are not forgotten.
The petition can be signed on my website www. lukegraham.org.uk.
If you have any issues or concerns please contact me at my office on 2 Comrie Street, Crieff or by email – luke.grahamoffice@ parliament.uk
Luke Graham MP says campaigners must continue to put pressure on RBS regarding the Comrie branch