A PETITION to halt the closure of Castlebay and Inveraray’s Royal Bank of Scotland branches was presented to the House of Commons, as the bank’s chief executive officer explained the decision to an inquiry of MPs.
RBS announced the closure of 62 branches across Scotland in December last year, citing changes in the way customers access banking services for a drop in branch use of around 40 per cent in the last three years. In February, it announced 10 of these branches, including Castlebay and Inveraray, would be kept open until the end of the year, and their closure reviewed if there was a significant increase in transactions.
Thanking the hundreds who signed the petition to keep Barra’s branch open, Isles MP Angus Brendan MacNeil MP said: ‘RBS is 72 per cent owned by the taxpayer and it is only right the UK Government is aware of the enormous impact bank closures and reduced hours will have on island communities.