RBS bosses to weet with Comrie community and outline plans

RBS officials will attend a meeting in Comrie on February 23 to answer questions on the future of the village’s closurethreatened bank branch.

It was one of 10 offered a reprieve on Tuesday, at least until the end of the year, though customers have been told they must use the service – or lose it.

The bank is to monitor branch usage and new business over the next 10 months before commissioning an independent review.

The meeting has been called by the Scottish Conservatives, with Liz Smith MSP, Luke Graham MP and councillor Roz McCall to be joined by bank bosses and community representatives.

Ms Smith hopes officials can now be convinced to give serious consideration to the impact closures would have upon communities.

She said: “It is a welcome change of heart from RBS that their officers are now prepared to engage with local people to discuss the widespread concerns about the devastating impact that branch closures would have, especially in rural areas where there are no easy alternatives.

“We will meet with RBS and members of the local community in Comrie to demand answers to the questions rightly being posed by the community.

“Until now, the RBS approach has been to draw the shutters and wait for the public relations storm to pass. This cannot go on.

“In bailing out of local communities, RBS has let down the very people who supported the bank in their darkest hour.

“Customers deserve dialogue and transparency from those who have designs on closing their local branch.”