For immediate release:

Rutherglen MSP, Clare Haughey, reports that she has been contacted by the Royal Bank of Scotland, who say that they will not close their Rutherglen Branch on the 24^th September as originally planned.    

RBS have said that in the light of new legislation aimed to protect access to cash in communities, they are working to provide further detail on banking services in Rutherglen, and support customers who will be affected by the branch closure.  However, there are no details of how long this temporary reprieve will last, meaning ongoing uncertainty for local residents.

RBS have already closed their branches in Blantyre, Burnside, and Cambuslang, and a decision to withdraw from Rutherglen would remove their banking presence locally – other than in the Cambuslang BankHub.

Commenting, Clare Haughey said;

“On the face of it this looks like good news, but the ongoing uncertainty over the bank’s ultimate future is causing a great deal of frustration and concern for residents.

“I met with RBS in April to urge them to reconsider the closure, but sadly they said that the decision had already been made.  I stressed my opposition to the closure, and expressed my sincere disappointment that they didn’t even consult on the plans before reaching a final decision.

“Given that the news that the bank won’t be closing on the 24^th, I have once more contacted them asking them to abandon their plans to close the Rutherglen branch altogether, look again at its true value to local residents, and re-commit their future to the town.

“They cannot keep letting their local customers down – RBS should revisit their original decision, and keep the Rutherglen branch open”.

ENDS