I am very disappointed to have been advised by email this afternoon that Virgin Money plan to close their bank branch in Giffnock. They have indicated that they plan to “consolidate our Virgin Money Giffnock branch and our Clydesdale Bank Newton Mearns branch” and they have gone on to say “we know that we have duplicated branch presence in several towns and cities including Giffnock”.
East Renfrewshire has been hit hard by bank closures over the last few years and this is yet another blow to those, including local businesses, who rely on the local services a bank branch provides, not to mention the branch staff who may be facing redundancy as a result of this decision.
This is particularly unhelpful since they actually closed their Clydesdale Bank branch in Giffnock two years ago, so whilst they say they are consolidating branches, it is patently clear that they mean they are reducing them.
Residents will be rightly concerned about being asked to travel further to access banking services, which presents particular difficulty for elderly and less mobile customers. And once again, we see a bank announcing their plan to close without consulting the local community.
I will write to Virgin Money asking them to clarify their decision making criteria to me, and seeking assurances that everything is being considered in terms of retaining local banking services and minimising the impact of their planned closure on customers and staff. This includes access to free to use cash machines which become more important when branches are removed.
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