Minister calls for RBS U-turn on Grantown branch
Strathspey MSP Fergus Ewing is to write to the chief executive of RBS to urge him to reconsider the proposed closure of their Grantown branch.
Mr Ewing (SNP) will tell Ross McEwan that for the bank to cease having a presence in Grantown is real concern to many of his constituents.
He said the Scottish Government was seeking to discuss these matters with the RBS itself and the UK Government which is in charge of the regulation of the banks.
Mr Ewing said: "As the public bailed out the bank, there is surely a moral duty for the RBS to respect its obligations to Scottish account holders.
"Not everyone uses online banking, and small businesses have a particular need for a bank to be relatively close at hand.
"It is also disappointing that the RBS appear to have eschewed all opportunities to explain their decision over the days since it was announced."
Meanwhile Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes condemned the RBS’s rural bank closures in the Holyrood chamber on Tuesday.
Ms Forbes pointed out in her topical question that it would hit communities hard. She said the axe for Aviemore, Beauly, Kyle and Mallaig in her constituency comes after the Bank of Scotland recently shut its premises in Kingussie, Beauly, Broadford and Fortrose.
The MSP said afterwards: "In light of the news that Royal Bank of Scotland intends to close 62 branches across Scotland, I thought it was vital that constituents’ concerns were raised in the chamber of the Scottish Parliament."
