Politicians back campaign

Angus North and Mearns SNP MSP Mairi Gougeon has thrown her weight behind The Courier’s campaign to keep local bank branches open.

Mrs Gougeon – reacting to the latest body blow from RBS in her constituency – said rural communities deserve better “than to be forced to travel to a centralised big city bank”.

She said: “I fully support The Courier’s campaign.

“In less than one year, five banks in my constituency have either been earmarked for closure or have already closed.”

RBS announced in March that 30 branches across Scotland – including Stonehaven in Mrs Gougeon’s constituency – were closing due to a drop in footfall.

But they have now announced a second round of closures in just nine months, with Montrose’s High Street base to close in June 2018.

This news follows Clydesdale’s decision to close their branches in Forfar, Brechin and Stonehaven and comes just 48 hours after the Bank Of Scotland revealed 11 of their bases – including one in Carnoustie – would be closing down.

Mrs Gougeon said: “It seems almost every month banks are drawing up a new list of branches to close.

“Montrose is a vibrant town with so much potential and is one of the big- gest towns in both Angus and the Angus North and Mearns constituencies.

“It has been used as a base by other banks who have closed branches in Brechin and diverted customers to Montrose.

“I have asked for an urgent meeting with RBS to ask them to reverse this decision.”

The RBS branch in Montrose is due to close on June 6 with the bank directing its customers to their nearest bases in Arbroath and Forfar.

The ATM will remain open beyond the branch closure.

Angus MP Kirstene Hair and North East Scotland MSP Liam Kerr have also backed The Courier’s campaign.

The Scottish Conservative duo signed up to our save local branches crusade following news of RBS’s decision to axe its Montrose branch.

Ms Hair said: “The closure of the Montrose branch is very disappointing and represents a major setback for the High Street.

“My thoughts are with the staff and their families, and I hope RBS uses the next six months to help them find work.

“I have spoken with RBS and will be meeting with executives on Monday and I hope to speak with their local management team as soon as possible to see how we can mitigate the loss of this branch. Some banks have pursued a programme of branch closures which may not be avoidable.

“However a line must be drawn before a friendly face behind the desk of a bank becomes a treasured memory in the north east.

“I support The Courier’s campaign to keep local branches at the heart of our communities.”

Mr Kerr said the Montrose closure will end a long and productive association between the 300-year-old institution and the town.

He said: “The firm has asked me to meet its local team, who are working with affected members of staff over the next six months. A trip to the branch is a fixture of many people’s lives, and they must also be supported through this upheaval.

“So close to Christmas, this must be heartbreaking. I don’t think the north east can sustain branch closures at the rate they are happening.

“It may make short-term economic sense to banks but it’s small towns who will feel the effects the hardest.”

MSP Mairi Gougeon.