ROYAL Bank of Scotland is to close 162 Williams & Glyn branches in England and Wales leaving nearly 800 people without a job.
RBS said the redundancies and closures were down to branches being too close to one another – within 0.6 and 2.5 miles – and because more customers prefer to bank online.
The lender – which is still 72 per cent owned by the taxpayer – said that the latest closures are linked to its decision not to sell its Williams & Glyn side of the business.
The first closures, of 109 branches, will occur in late July and August 2018, with another 53 branches to close in November.
The first 109 branches to close are all within 0.6 miles of another Royal Bank of Scotland or NatWest branch.
The next 53 are between 0.6 and 2.5 miles of another RBS or NatWest branch.
WHAT BRANCHES WILL BE AFFECTED
AT the beginning of the year, RBS annouced that it was closing down 62 branches.
This is the list of confirmed closures so far released by the bank:
Scotland
- Anstruther
- Banchory
- Bishopbriggs
- Blantyre
- Buckie
- Cowdenbeath
- Cumnock
- Cupar
- Dalgety Bay
- Denny
- Edinburgh, Blenheim Place
- Edinburgh, Castle Street
- Edinburgh, Chesser
- Edinburgh, Comiston
- Edinburgh, David Mains
- Edinburgh, Glimmerton
- Edinburgh, Juniper Green
- Edinburgh, Portpbello
- Edinburgh University
- Forres
- Girvan
- Glasgow, Alexandra Parade
- Glasgow, Anniesland Cross
- Glasgow, Burnside
- Glasgow, Crosshill
- Glasgow, Govan,
- Grangemouth
- Kilsyth
- Kirkcaldy Central
- Leven
- Mauchline
- Newton Mearns
- Newton Stewart
- Prestwick
- Stenhousemuir
- Stonehaven
- Troon
- Westhill
- Whitburn
England
- Little Lever
- Marylebone
- Nottingham
RBS is due to release an updated list later today.
It’s not yet clear exactly which branches are closing.
The cuts follow the closure of 259 branches announced in December last year, which resulted in 680 job losses, and similar moves by Britain’s biggest mortgage lender Lloyds Banking Group.
“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,” the bank said in a statement.
Employee union Unite criticised the planned closures and cuts, which follow the failed spin off of RBS’s Williams & Glyn brand in 2016.
LATEST IN BANKING
The union said close to 60 percent of Williams & Glyn branches would be closed in what Unite said represented “shambolically poor management” of the business.
“Ending years of speculation Royal Bank of Scotland has effectively turned its back on the Williams and Glyn customers and staff,” National Officer Rob MacGregor said, adding the move will deprive customers of access to full banking facilities.
RBS’s announcement to axe branches in December had already prompted fierce backlash from campaigners and lawmakers, forcing the bank to postpone some closures in Scotland.
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