A fresh wave of bank closures, which will jeopardise jobs and leave customers facing 38-mile round trips has been widely condemned across the north east.
RBS confirmed yesterday it is pulling out of Banchory, Buckie, Forres, Stonehaven and Westhill in six months’ time.
And the taxpayer-owned bank said it could not guarantee the future of the 19 staff working at the affected branches.
A fall of around a third in transactions at each of the locations was blamed by RBS for the decision – which it revealed on posters in the branches.
A spokesman responded that all “vulnerable” customers had been contacted directly and a “taskforce” set up to help people switch to online banking.
But trade unions, small-business leaders and politicians united in dismay at another blow to communities.
An emergency motion has been submitted to Moray Council urging the chief executive to formally protest and call for a rethink.
RBS said Westhill, Stonehaven and Banchory customers’ nearest branch would be Aberdeen Queen’s Cross – forcing round trips of 12, 28 or 38 miles.
Those in Forres and Buckie face round trips of 33 and 22 miles to Elgin if they want to continue to use face-to-face services.
The closures come soon after similar moves by Clydesdale Bank and Bank of Scotland.
Banchory and Mid-Deeside councillor Karen Clark said it was “a serious blow to the high street”- with its cashpoint also to be axed.
“Yet again here is an example of the banks treating their customers with contempt,” she said.
“I feel sorry for elderly people who use the bank and who rely on the friendly and excellent staff.”
The bank said it is looking at possible extra stops for mobile banking vans.
Asked about job losses, the spokesman said RBS was doing “everything we can” to help the 19 affected north-east staff “and ensuring that compulsory redundancies are kept to a minimum”.
Dozens more jobs are at risk across the country from 30 closures.
Unite regional officer Lyn Turner accused RBS of “turning its back on the communities that have been the foundation of their business for generations.”
And Andy Willox, the Federation of Small Business Scottish policy convenor, said the closures would “put pressure on local economies and make it harder for local firms to access banking services”.
