Royal Bank of Scotland has blocked an MSP’s request for footfall numbers that were used as justification for the closure of their branch in Montrose.
RBS announced in November that Montrose was on a list of 62 offices that would close in 2018 as part of a major restructure.
At the time it stated that it had used a range of factors to decide which branches closed including how often customers are using the branch.
But while figures released to Angus North and Mearns SNP MSP Mairi Gougeon state 88% of Montrose customers are banking in other ways and transactions have reduced by 30% since 2012, RBS won’t reveal how many people are still using the branch.
RBS said it could not release information on footfall levels due to its ‘commercially sensitive nature’.
Mrs Gougeon said: “They state this information is ‘commercially sensitive’ but I find this very difficult to accept given that they have gone into great detail over footfall figures for many other branches in Scotland.
“My SNP colleague at Westminster, Ian Blackford, was able to provide a complete breakdown of visitor figures in several branches in his constituency — having been given this information by RBS.
“RBS have told me that 88% of customers in Montrose bank in other ways and overall transactions have reduced by 30% since 2012.
“But there is no direct information which shows that these same customers use their branch in addition to online, mobile or telephone banking.
“For RBS to be fully transparent with its customers over the reasons for the closure of a branch they should fully set out exactly how many people are using them in comparison to previous years.
“Failure to provide this sort of information only serves to arouse suspicion that the decline in walk-in customers in Montrose isn’t as sharp as RBS would have us believe.”
RBS plans to close its Montrose branch on June 6.
Closing the branch will leave some RBS customers with an Aberdeen to Arbroath-sized gap in provision and folk in the Mearns with a 50-mile round trip to their nearest branch.
Basic banking services will be transferred to the Post Office and a mobile branch van that will visit each Monday and Wednesday between 1.20pm and 2.20pm.
But with personal customers restricted to a maximum cash pay-in of £250 and RBS stating that cash payments into the Post Office can take up to two working days, Mrs Gougeon has further concerns over the reduction in service.
She said: “I’ve already said I don’t feel the mobile branch van is adequate — both in terms of the services it offers and accessibility and customers aren’t being offered a like-for-like service in the Post Office.
“Many small businesses need cash paid into their account as quickly as possible. They can’t always wait two working days for the cash to clear.
“There is a presumption that everyone can bank online, which just isn’t the case. Some don’t have access, for some organisations or charities it simply isn’t possible.”
“I know there are a lot of local businesses in Montrose who currently use RBS but this is likely to change if they proceed with their closure proposal.”
Protests are set to be held outside RBS branches all over Scotland this weekend in a Day Of Action petition against the bank.
