SURVEY SHOWS OVER 500 PEOPLE USING THE BRANCH IN A SINGLE DAY
Stirling SNP politicians have criticised the decision to close the Bannockburn Branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) after a survey found 505 people using the branch in a single day.
The survey monitored the number of people using the branch over the course of Monday (12th March) during RBS’ trading hours (9am – 5pm).
It found that 246 people went into the branch to use banking services and 259 people used the ATM facilities available.
However, RBS claim that only 82 customers use the Branch in a week.
On Saturday (10th March), local SNP representatives joined activists to protest the closure.
Commenting, Stirling MSP Bruce Crawford said:
“The numbers speak for themselves and it is clear that RBS in Bannockburn is an important branch to local people and simply should not close.
“The UK Government owns 73% of RBS on the taxpayers’ behalf and I have consistently called on Tory Ministers to intervene on this closure. The recent response I have received from the Treasury would suggest that the Tory Government does not intend to lift a finger for these communities.
“I will be writing to the Chancellor to further highlight the scale of the issue for Bannockburn and the surrounding communities in the hope that he and his Government will change their mind and do the right thing.”
Local Bannockburn Councillor, Alasdair MacPherson added:
“Since this closure was announced, I have run a petition that quickly gained over 2,000 signatures from local residents. It is frankly a disgrace that RBS are pushing forward with this closure full steam ahead.
“This is clearly a very busy branch that provides services for many local people – with older people in particular relying on traditional banking services. It is time that RBS reconsidered their position on this and acted in the interests of customers who bailed them out a decade ago and have remained loyal ever since.”
Stirling Council Leader, Councillor Scott Farmer added:
“RBS Bannockburn is an important branch that services a number of communities across the Stirling and the Falkirk area. Following negotiations with SNP MPs, the decision by RBS to keep 10 marked-for-closure branches across Scotland open until the end of this year at the earliest has shown that the bank is at least willing to listen. Tory Ministers in Westminster now must step up to the mark and show that they are willing to act.”
