RBS accused of turning its back on communities

Banking: Unite calls for moratorium on any further closures that will particularly harm rural communities

The RBS has been accused of turning its back on communities as it announced plans to axe more branches across Scotland.

The banking giant plans to shut 30 branches north of the border, including six in Fife, impacting on 219 staff and putting 82 full-time equivalent jobs at risk, said the Unite union.

It is part of a closure programme that will result in nearly 160 branches closing around the UK.

RBS claimed the move comes as more customers are using online or mobile banking services.

Unite regional officer Lyn Turner said: “RBS is turning its back on the communities that have been the foundation of their business for generations.

“That’s bad news for our members who now have to live with the threat of redundancy – and it’s bad news for customers and businesses.”

She stressed people liked the face-toface contact a high street branch afforded customers, adding: “Pensioners, people with mobility issues, and those without internet access are being particularly hard hit, especially in rural areas.”

She called on RBS and government to reflect on the bank’s current path, which she said risked “cutting too far”, by putting a moratorium on further closures.

Meanwhile, the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland’s Scottish Policy convener, Andy Willox, added he was frustrated to see RBS show so little loyalty to Scotland’s high streets.

“Branch closures put pressure on local economies and make it harder for local firms to access banking services.”

He argued while more people may be turning to online banking, it was “no good” for cash-based businesses or for rural firms with poor broadband.

“As the big banks shut down branches in chorus, it unfortunately seems like the banking industry is content to leave some customers behind,” he said.

Colleague Gordon Henderson said small businesses in areas popular with tourists, like the East Neuk, would be badly hit as they tended to handle more cash than most.

In Fife, Anstruther, Cowdenbeath, Cupar, Dalgety Bay, Leven and Kirkcaldy High Street will go.

Branches will also disappear in Banchory, Bishopbriggs, Blantyre, Buckie, Cumnock, Denny, Forres, Girvan, Grangemouth, Kilsyth, Mauchline, Newton Mearns, Newton Stewart, Prestwick, Stenhousemuir, Stonehaven, Troon, Westhill, Whitburn and five in Glasgow.