Angry MPs will quiz bank chiefs over branch data

Royal Bank of Scotland boss to be confronted on footfall figures

MPs will challenge Royal Bank of Scotland bosses over their sums on footfall at Scotland’s doomed branches this week.

Les Matheson, the chief executive of personal and business banking at RBS, is in Westminster on Wednesday to defend his hated plan to shut 62 branches north of the border, including eight in Courier Country.

Pete Wishart, the Perth and North Perthshire MP, said Mr Matheson will be quizzed on his bank’s data on branch visitor numbers, which the SNP politician says is at odds with the experience on the ground.

Mr Wishart, who is chairman of the Scottish Affairs Committee which is probing the RBS chiefs, said: “We asked the Scottish public to get in touch with the committee in advance of our inquiry on Wednesday and the response has been overwhelming.

“There are real concerns from people right across Scotland about the scale of these closures and the impact it will have on communities.

“We have heard from individuals concerned about how they will access their banking services to businesses concerned about the impact on their ability to effectively operate in rural areas without access to local banking facilities.”

Mr Wishart said: “There is absolutely no support for the closure programme and many people have taken issue with the ‘footfall’ figures given by RBS to support these closures.

“Consumer group ‘Which’ has given us evidence which reveals four in 10 (41%) people said they used the local branch of their high street bank at least once a month.

“Others raised concerns about distances that will have to be travelled in order to access services and there are concerns from many mainly elderly people who have no access to the internet.”

RBS says that customers who are losing their branch will still be able to perform some tasks locally at mobile banks, post offices and cash machines.

It insists customers will have “more ways to bank than ever before”.

The Courier is campaigning against the branch closures, as well as a further 49 across the country.

Picture: Kim Cessford. Closing the RBS branch on Montrose High Street could hit older people and small businesses in the community the hardest.