Johnstone is close to becoming a “banking desert” after the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) announced plans to close its branch in the town, a councillor has said.
The shutters are set to come down on the Church Street facility in August, leading to a motion demanding RBS management reconsider its decision.
Andy Doig’s call for a rethink received unanimous backing among his fellow elected members at Thursday’s full council meeting.
The veteran politician, who represents the north of the town and surrounding villages, said: “Johnstone, as a community and as one of the major towns in Renfrewshire, is now almost a banking desert compared to the situation less than a decade ago.”
The closure would mean customers will need to travel just shy of five miles to the Paisley Chief Office in Moncrieff Street if they want to bank with RBS in person.
Presenting his motion, which was seconded by Councillor John Hood, Councillor Doig warned the elderly and people on low incomes will be “left behind” as a result of the situation.
He added: “If the decision is taken to close the RBS branch, Houston Square in Johnstone will now only have two free ATMs to serve a town of 17,000.
“That’s bad enough for the residents of Johnstone, but it also impacts other communities in my ward like Kilbarchan, Lochwinnoch and Howwood – most of whom have not had banks for generations and decades even.
“The Royal Bank left Lochwinnoch in, I think, 2014 and of course the battle cry for the owners of the RBS at the time was, well you can go to the branch in Johnstone.
“Now it’s a case of after August you’ll need to go to the branch in Paisley … If we want to have 20-minute neighbourhoods it’s extremely important that in our major towns people have access to mainstream banking facilities.
“Once again, you’ll find here it’ll be the elderly, it’ll be people on low incomes, it’ll be the digitally excluded who will be left behind.
“It’s really just not good enough any longer.”
It is understood between 2019 and 2022, counter transactions decreased by 55 per cent at the Johnstone branch.
An RBS spokesperson said previously: “As with many industries, most of our customers are shifting to mobile and online banking, because it’s faster and easier for people to manage their financial lives.
“We understand and recognise that digital solutions aren’t right for everyone or every situation, and that when we close branches we have to make sure that no one is left behind.
“We take our responsibility seriously to support the people who face challenges in moving online, so we are investing to provide them with support and alternatives that work for them.”
Staff will be kept on and have the opportunity to work at another location.
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