MSP demands meeting with RBS bosses over Helensburgh branch closure

Furious MSP Jackie Baillie has demanded a meeting with bank bosses set to axe a Helensburgh branch.

Under-fire RBS - part owned by the taxpayer following a 2008 bailout - announced last month that the Colquhoun Square bank will close.

The move will leave Dumbarton’s branch, which operates limited opening hours, as the high street banking chain’s only branch between Dumbarton, the Vale of Leven, Helensburgh and Lomond.

The bank, owned by NatWest, broke the news at short notice after bringing plans forward.

Helensburgh’s RBS is now earmarked to close for the final time on September 25 of this year.

But the area’s MSP, Jackie Baillie, has written to bank chiefs demanding that they reconsider.

Labour’s Jackie, who represents Helensburgh at Holyrood, said: “I am dismayed by Nat West’s decision to close Helensburgh’s long-standing branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

“I understand that more customers are switching to digital banking but not everyone is able to use these services and there are many members of our communities who, for a variety of reasons, still need in-branch services.

“I have written to the Royal Bank of Scotland seeking a meeting and demanding that they review this decision.

“It is not acceptable for banks sitting on large profits to continue to axe services customers need, especially in the case of RBS, which has benefited significantly from public funds.”

The bank announced that 18 of its remaining 86 local branches will close, but pledged not to review the network again until 2026.

Rival Bank of Scotland announced last year that its branch in Kilcreggan would also be axed.

It will close on August 15.

RBS claims to have considered a range of factors, including impact on customers; the level of financial vulnerability in the area, the nearest available branch and transport links, before reaching its decision.

A spokesman for the bank said: “While we are increasingly engaging our customers digitally, our branch network remains important to us.

“We are also significantly investing in refreshing our network – we are investing £10.5m in our network across Scotland, from 2023-24, as well as continuing to invest in shared solutions like the Post Office and banking hubs.

“Our customers appreciate the speed and convenience of digital banking for everyday transactions, and often, when it comes to making bigger, more complex decisions they value speaking to our skilled and experienced colleagues.”