THREE more Royal Bank of Scotland branches will close in Glasgow, with bosses citing a drop in customers as the reason behind “the difficult decision”.

The branches, in Maryhill, Possilpark and Cambuslang, will shut in August.
In a statement yesterday, a spokesman said customer transactions at the three branches had fallen by nearly a fifth in the past five years.

He added that online and mobile banking had soared four-fold since 2010.

The move comes after the banking chain closed several branches across Scotland last year, including ones in West Blackhall Street, in Greenock, and Dumbarton Road, in Glasgow.

The latest news was met with dismay by residents, with Maryhill and Summerston community council’s chairwoman, Gillian Britton, saying the closure would affect many elderly people and those on benefits.

She said: “It’s a busy branch, I quite often go past and there are people standing outside.

“Maryhill is a poor area, not many people have computers and rely on the bank to do their banking.

“The nearest branch is at Anniesland Cross but there’s no bus route there so you’d have to get the train.

“There’s quite a large elderly population in Maryhill and they will be affected.”
An RBS spokesman said the Possilpark bank will close on Tuesday, August 9, but said that its ATM would remain.

He said customers could use the nearby post office to pay money in and out, and get change.

He said: “We’re closing this branch because the number of transactions at the branch has reduced by 17 per cent since 2011, and only 94 customers use the branch on a regular weekly basis. Fifty-four of these customers already use other branches in the area.”

The Maryhill branch will close on Wednesday, August 17, with the spokesman saying customer transactions there had fallen by 20 per cent in the past five years.

The Cambuslang branch will close on Thursday, August 18.

The spokesman said: “We’re closing this branch because the number of transactions at the branch has reduced by 20 per cent since 2011, and only 79 customers use the branch on a regular weekly basis. Forty-five of these customers already use other branches in the area.”

He continued: “We are committed to following the UK government protocol on branch closures, and we have made the decision following careful consideration of a wide range of factors, including branch usage and the alternative ways our customers can bank with us locally.”

He added that customers who used the branches would receive letters and that there are posters going up in the branches.