Meeting will be sought with CEO over south Sligo banks
SLIGO County Council will seek a meeting Bank of Ireland CEO Francesca McDonagh to discuss impending branch closures in south Sligo.
Motions were tabled by Cathoirleach Cllr Dara Mulvey, Cllr Thomas Healy and Cllr Arthur Gibbons expressing their disappointment at this development and their desire to hold a meeting with the CEO. Cllr Mulvey said he is seeking that the bank buildings in Ballymote and Tubbercurry have their external ATMs retained and that the buildings be donated to their respective communities as a sign of goodwill. “I have put this motion forward in light of the March 1 announcement to close banks in this jurisdiction,” Cllr Mulvey said.
“It is a retrograde step. Generations of people have been dealing with these branches and if this isn’t being reassessed it is going to be very bad for communities.”
The Fine Gael representative went on to say that while Tubbercurry will still have one other ATM, Ballymote will only have an ATM inside a supermarket if the Bank of Ireland decide to remove them from their buildings.
“We don’t want a repeat of Ulster Bank closing in Ballymote in 2017, the technology is there to keep ATMs in communities, especially in Ballymote.” Cllr Thomas Healy said that a town like Ballymote can only thrive with easy access to bank services and that Bank of Ireland cannot be allowed to follow through on their plans without any genuine opposition.
“I am encouraged that members of government parties are showing a sense of unity on this important issue. Ballymote is a mart town which relies on people coming and going. The message coming out of here today has to be that enough is enough. “We have to start asking questions. We have to start asking questions, we bailed them out and the bank is here to serve the public.”
Cllr Healy tabled the motion with Sinn Fein colleague Cllr Arthur Gibbons, who said: “Banks are a lifeline of these communities. The government needs to put the boot in.”
The motions were supported by Cllr Gerard Mullaney who described the Bank of Ireland’s actions as “nothing short of deplorable” before insisting “it isn’t asking much for ATMs to be retained.”
Cllr Mulvey stated that he is happy to arrange a meeting between a delegation from Sligo County Council and the Bank of Ireland CEO, but stated that he has already had difficulty making contact with Frances McDonagh in recent weeks.