MP vows to continue fight against closures

The fight to save the RBS branch in Strathaven will continue.

That’s the message from Dr Lisa Cameron MP after 10 rural outlets were spared the axe.

Royal Bank of Scotland bosses performed a U-turn under mounting pressure with some branches earmarked for closure given a reprieve.

Branches were handed a lifeline in small, predominantly rural, communities where the closure would have meant no high street bank in the village.

The banks, including those in the South Lanarkshire villages of Biggar and Douglas, will remain open with a review taking place at the end of the year.

East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow MP Dr Cameron is keen to see a similar stay of execution for the Strathaven branch.

And she has urged folk in the district to voice their concerns to RBS and back her petition. Dr Cameron said:“following on from sustained pressure from SNP MPS, RBS announced a stay of execution for 10 banks deemed the last in their towns until the end of this year.

“Our banks in Strathaven and Lesmahagow were not included and may not be the‘last bank in town’but they are both viable commercially and vital to our rural constituents and businesses.

“My campaign to save them from closure, therefore, continues and I would urge constituents to sign my petition – and also to make their voices known to the RBS consultation and by writing in community groups to the Scottish affairs committee who are undertaking an inquiry into these proposed closures.

“I challenged the UK Government to act yet again in a debate on community banking; the public own over 70 per cent of RBS and they cannot be allowed to abandon our rural customers.”