Islanders told to lobby Treasury Minister to save bank
A FIGHT to save an island’s only bank will be stepped up next week for a visit to Barra by UK Treasury Minister John Glen.
Islanders are being urged to turn out in force to show their strength of feeling after Mr Glen agreed to accept an invitation from local MP Angus Macneil to see for himself the impact a proposed closure by RBS would have.
The minister is due to arrive on Barra on Tuesday, hard on the heels of a visit by Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of chartered accountants, which has been appointed by RBS to carry out an independent review into 10 branches targeted for closure.
Mr Macneil, MP for the Western Isles, has been critical of RBS following the bank’s original decision to close the branch in Castlebay and reduce the opening hours of the Lochboisdale branch on neighbouring South Uist.
“The case for keeping the bank open on Barra is irrefutable and only somebody far away with a spreadsheet would think of doing this,” said Mr Macneil.
He said input from the local community was “crucial” to keep banking services on Barra. The MP added: “We also need to resume normal hours at Lochsboisdale on South Uist but we need to spell it out for Johnston Carmichael.
“They have the power to keep the branch open or not and RBS say they will be bound by their decision.”
RBS has suspended its mobile bank van service to Barra because of low usage, lack of ferry capacity and local hostility towards staff on some occasions.
Castlebay RBS was one of 10 branches given a reprieve until the end of the year in the bank’s controversial round of closures, but the bank started sending a mobile van every week anyway.
However, the van was scrapped, although if the branch does eventually close it may be reinstated.
Mr Macneil recently claimed
RBS will have to pay £200 on ferry fares each time it sends the mobile bank.
The island’s only cash machine, attached to the bank in Castlebay, was also saved after a U-turn by RBS.
The bank said many more customers are accessing services online or via mobile devices and that only 11 customers a week on average use the Barra branch.