More RBS closures confirmed for Ayrshire

Three Royal Bank of Scotland branches are to shut down in Ayrshire.

It’s part of another round of closures announced this morning which will see the shutters pulled down on 62 branches across the country.

The ones affected in Ayrshire are:

Kilbirnie: Closing on 5th June 2018

Kilwinning: Closing on 11th June 2018

Saltcoats: Closing on 20th June 2018

An RBS spokesperson said: “More and more of our customers are choosing to do their everyday banking online or on mobile. Since 2012 the number of customers using our branches in Scotland has fallen by 44%. Only 1% of our customers in Scotland now use a branch regularly while the number of regular mobile users has increased by 39% since 2015.

"We’re investing and providing our customers with more ways to bank than ever before – they can choose from a range of digital to face-to-face options.

"As customers continue to change the way they bank with us, we must change the way we serve them, so we are investing in our more popular branches and shaping our network, replacing traditional bricks and mortar branches with alternative ways to bank, including; Community Bankers, Mobile Bank on Wheels, and Post Offices, so that we can reach even more customers.

"We expect these closures to result in around 158 redundancies. We realise this is difficult news for our colleagues and we are doing everything we can to support those affected. We will ensure compulsory redundancies are kept to an absolute minimum”

But there has been an angry reaction from Unite the Union. Scotland’s Regional Officer, Lyn Turner, said: “This is not the Royal Bank for Scotland. It’s the Royal Bank for its top directors and executives filling their boots while they devastate local communities with bank closures and destroy hundreds of quality jobs.