Lifeline offer to Comrie RBS branch.

Town’s branch will stay open until end of year at least

RBS bosses have offered a lifeline to 10 closure-threatened Scottish branches, including Comrie.

They have promised to keep the banks open until at least the end of 2018 and will give each a chance to prove it is busy enough to retain.

However, the announcement could signal the death knell for the remaining 52 branches earmarked for closure.

Perthshire South and Kinross-shire SNP MSP Roseanna Cunningham welcomed the reprieve for Comrie, but described it as “a stay of execution”.

The politician said bank bosses had effectively challenged the village to “use it or lose” over the next 10 months.

She also told RBS its announcement did not go far enough and pledged campaigning would continue to protect other services.

The Unite union echoed the view that the announcement was only a stay of execution and said it remained “gravely concerned” about the remaining 52 closures and would “seek urgent meetings” with top bank officials.

Andy Willox from the Federation of Small businesses, meanwhile, said: “While we accept that RBS have made some concessions and we look forward to better understanding the details of this announcement, this doesn’t look like the change of heart for which we were looking.”

Within Tayside and the surrounding area, branches in Aberfeldy, Pitlochry, Kinross, Dunblane, Montrose, Dundee (Stobswell) and Perth (South Street) remain under immediate threat.

It is understood the distance Comrie residents would have to travel to access another RBS branch played a key part in the decision.

RBS managing director for personal banking, Jane Howard, said: “Having listened to the concerns of customers, communities and elected representatives from all political parties we have decided to keep 10 branches open until the end of 2018.

“During this period we will monitor the level of transactions and new income at each branch and if there is a sustained and viable increase in both then we will reconsider the closure.”

RBS has blamed changing customer habits and a fall in usage for its decision to cut physical services.

At Comrie, the drop in usage since 2012 has been just 14%. The other nine branches are Biggar, Beauly, Castlebay on Barra, Douglas, Gretna, Inveraray, Melrose, Kyle of Lochalsh and Tongue.

Picture: Kim Cessford. Comrie fancy dress entrants with their take on the RBS closure programme. However, their town’s branch may have been offered a lifeline to prove its profitability.

With regards to each branch, RBS says in excess of 80% of all customers already “bank in other ways”.