MPs carry on fight to save three local RBS branches

Stirling MP Stephen Kerr has written to bank bosses urging them to reconsider their decision to close branches in the area.

However MSPs Bruce Crawford and Keith Brown are calling on Conservative UK ministers to intervene themselves.

RBS branches at Bannockburn, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan are all set to shut in the coming months along with the Bank of Scotland branch in Bridge of Allan.

When the move was announced last year customers reacted with dismay. A petition opposing the closure of the RBS Bannockburn branch was signed by more than 2000 people.

But the banks have said the decision is due to a decline in people visiting branches and a move towards digital and online banking.

Mr Kerr has written to RBS boss Ross McEwan and Bank of Scotland boss Antonio Horta Osorio asking them to think again.

He pointed out that RBS customers in Bridge of Allan, Bannockburn and Dunblane would have to travel to Stirling City Centre to carry out their banking.

Mr Kerr told them:“I am aware that consumer trends are changing. However, for many people, including the vulnerable and elderly, the local bank branch is the only way to access their accounts.”

Stirling MSP Mr Crawford wants the UK Government to use their influence as they own 73 per cent of the bank and have more than 70 per cent of voting rights.

He said:“These dedicated customers and taxpayers are the very people who bailed RBS out just a few years ago. For the Tory Government to brush this off as a commercial matter is an insult to those who have remained loyal to the bank throughout.

“It is about time that the UK Government sat up and took their responsibilities seriously – I will continue to pursue this with them and fight this closure.”

Clackmannanshire and Dunblane MSP Keith Brown added:“I am calling for an immediate moratorium on any RBS closures, and meaningful dialogue between the bank and the communities they serve about the way forward that maintains banking services for the individuals and businesses who rely on them.

“I am also calling on elected representatives of all parties, including the two Tory MPs who claim to have influence over the Tory Government, to join me in backing our communities by fully supporting this call for a moratorium on bank closures.”

The RBS Bannockburn branch is set to close on May 15, the Dunblane High Street branch on May 20, and the Bridge of Allan Henderson Street branch on June 11.

The Bank of Scotland Bridge of Allan branch is to close on February 26, the Stirling Munro Road branch on February 27, the Denny branch on Glasgow Road on February 28 and Alva branch in Stirling Street on April 18.

Bannockburn, Dunblane and Bridge of Allan will lose facilities