Bank cuts opening hours
CAMPBELTOWN’S Royal Bank of Scotland is to drastically reduce its opening times.
A BUSINESSMAN has slammed the publicly-owned Royal Bank of Scotland’s (RBS) decision to slash its opening hours in Campbeltown.
From August 15, the RBS premises in Main Street will only open on Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays from 9.15am to 5pm, cut from five days a week.
The businessman, who spoke to the paper but would prefer not to have his name printed, has written to his manager who forwarded the complaint to Birmingham.
The businessman is incensed that no similar changes are planned in Inveraray which, he said, is a village with a much smaller population. He added that he was given a standard reply which he binned.
Since last year RBS has been cutting services in the west coast rural areas.
Highlands and Islands Scottish Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said: ‘Last year we saw RBS close branches in the north of the Highlands and Islands.
‘Now they are turning their attention to reducing opening hours in Argyll and Bute branches.’
The MSP has tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling for RBS to reconsider its decision to reduce its banking services in the Highlands and Islands.
Ms Grant added: ‘The bank’s claim that an increase in internet banking is affecting its branches may apply to our big cities.
‘It is certainly not true for the rural Highlands and Islands where the poor broadband service makes internet banking difficult and unreliable.
‘These cuts have a disproportionate effect on rural communities where the more fragile business environment and ageing population make face-to-face banking important.
‘Geography should not be a determining factor in quality or range of services to a community.’
An RBS spokesperson responded: ‘RBS will be changing the opening hours of the Campbeltown branch.
‘This is because customers are increasingly using alternative ways to bank with RBS, such as online and mobile banking.
‘As a result, branch transactions have fallen 46 per cent since 2010, while online and mobile transactions have grown by 400 per cent.
‘Only nine per cent of the total transactions are now undertaken in branches compared to 25 per cent in 2010.
‘RBS is committed to following the UK government protocol on significant opening hour changes.’