EDINBURGH - Clydesdale Bank has announced that it would be closing an additional 11 full-time branches and 21 part-time branches over the next 120 days. This decision is a continuation of the Bank's commitment to decrease its High Street presence from 217 to 153 branches.
The branches, which are mainly in Glasgow and Edinburgh suburbs will close shop between 10 January and 30 March 2006. This will mean that some of Scotland's most vulnerable communities will be left high and dry without adequate banking facilities. "To date this year there have been no compulsory redundancies as a result of branch closures we have announced. We envisage that the majority of our people impacted will be transferred to another branch or elect to take voluntary severance," said David Thorburn, Clydesdale's chief operating officer.
The said banks have a customer base of only around 1,700 as compared to the national average of 9,800 and the Clydesdale Bank average of 4,000. Thorburn said that the bank would continue to offer customers facilities like ATMs, Internet banking, telephone banking and financial solutions from its main branches.
But this decision has met with severe criticism from lawmakers and customers alike, "The bank has portrayed an irresponsible attitude particularly towards the last bank in town communities throughout Scotland," said Paul Martin, Labour MSP for Glasgow Springburn.
The Amicus Union has also condemned this decision, Amicus official Mary Alexander said, "The bank has reneged on their promise not to close 'the last branch in town' in eight communities. These customers will have to travel some distances to get to a branch and for those without a car, this could prove very difficult indeed."
Eaglesham; Findochty; Neilston; Muirkirk; New Galloway; Rothes; Auchinleck and Tomintoul will be left without any banking facilities in the vicinity as a result of this decision.
Posted
on : Thu, 03 Nov 2005 20:20 GMT | Banking News
By : Anne Philips
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