RBS closures are a betrayal of rural Scotland’s economy

that fell apart immediately.

People on Barra were told that following the closure of the Castlebay branch that among their nearest bank machines would be Oban, Tobermory, Gairloch and Portree. That is akin to telling the people of Dover that not only was their nearest bank now in Calais but that the nearest cash machines were in Paris, Brussels and Amsterdam.

Needless to say the bank, after I highlighted this nonsense complete with a map on Twitter, backed down very quickly and have promised a cash machine will remain on the island. But that must be reliable and have staff, thus from the three staff at the bank how much are they saving?

In my lifetime those bank jobs have tended to employ women. With women more inclined to work parttime hours, local bank branches provide high-quality, part-time employment.

The RBS also claimed only 13 customers a week went into their Castlebay branch. Rubbish! On the morning of their announcement I know that 20 went into the branch, just doing their normal business for 10 minutes or so.

So on cash-machines RBS didn’t do their homework or were slapdash. Their data on customers going to the bank is similarly questionable. They suggest an alternative branch is at Lochboisdale, almost 30 miles away, but fail to spot or inform that that includes a ferry journey, meaning at best that a trip to the bank is now a half-day round trip or an overnight stay which would cost £30 in ferry fares alone. Nor do they mention they are cutting the opening days and hours in Lochboisdale too.

Now if your blood pressure isn’t going through the roof already can I tell you that the bonus paid to RBS Chief Executive Ross McEwan last year would pay the wages of all the staff at the Castlebay branch for about 35 years.

Further, we have bank 73% owned by the taxpayer paying out corporate “welfare” of £16 million in bonuses last year to a select few which would probably fund all the threatened branches for 10 years.

Whatever problems the Royal Bank has had, they were neither caused by the savers and the network of rural branches the management is suddenly threatening with closure and those problems will not be solved by those actions either. What they will do is strangle large areas of rural Scotland and kill off vital jobs in weakened communities. Some customers will remove themselves from the Royal Bank such is the anger they feel.

This is a PR cock-up of epic proportions.

One cafe business, flat out all summer, is now wondering how the heck the staff will bank their takings of a few thousand a week, they cannot take half days meandering across ferries hoping for no interrupted sailings. If they do their business will suffer and even more people will be out of work. They are tearing their hair out on the “change facility” as customers tend to be note heavy and coin light.

My eldest daughter reminded me that she opened an account with the Royal Bank when she was 12 years old to cash cheques from picking winkles on the shore and she has been with them ever since. Needless to say like everyone else she is livid with them now.

I might be wrong about the Royal Bank management. Maybe they do have backbone. Maybe they do follow Harry Truman’s maxim and take responsibility for their actions – “the buck stops here” as he said. Maybe Ross McEwan will come to Barra and other places and attempt to see and understand what he is doing. Hopefully, he is not too feather-bedded by bonuses from the public purse and can face up to and meet with reality.

Communities cannot and will not take this lying down, the RBS may shy away from bad publicity but this is an issue where I can see demonstrations outside its HQ if it doesn’t start to meaningfully engage with communities, MPs and people, and fast. Remember banking in Calais is not an option for Dover, and similar geographical challenges are not acceptable for rural and island Scotland – the “stuff you” approach will not wash.