Petition to save Helensburgh Royal Bank of Scotland launched

As previously reported, the NatWest group announced on April 17 that the Helensburgh branch is one of 18 RBS sites across Scotland which will shut by September.

The Colquhoun Square branch is set to close its doors for the final time on September 25.

They confirmed that 105 employees would be affected by the decision to close a fifth of the country's RBS branches.

READ NEXT: Royal Bank of Scotland closure plans sparks furious response in Helensburgh

The petition went live online on Wednesday ahead of its formal launch at the Market in the Square event in Colquhoun Square on Saturday, April 27.

The campaign will be discussed at next Helensburgh Community Council meeting next Thursday where it is hoped that people will write directly to the bank to make their views known.

The branch on Colquhoun Square will close in September (Image: Newsquest)

Wendy Hamilton from Grasshopper Toys, a member of the Helensburgh Business Group, said: “As a resident and a small business owner in our town, I am concerned by the announcement that a fourth bank will close soon, leaving only one bank to serve the entirety of our population and all local businesses.

“This development presents a series of pressing concerns that compel us to take action and launch a campaign to save our local banks.

“The closure of our banks poses a severe threat to the economic vitality of our town. Local businesses rely on accessible banking services to manage transactions, secure financing, and support growth and development.

“The absence of nearby banking facilities will impede their ability to thrive, leading to job losses, decreased investment, and a decline in overall economic prosperity of the town.”

READ MORE: Royal Bank of Scotland confirms branch in Helensburgh will close later this year

And an urgent motion is also being presented at Thursday’s full Argyll and Bute Council meeting, when councillors from across the area will be asked to express their concern at the closure plan.

The bank will also be asked to engage with Cash Access UK and other banking providers to establish a banking hub in its Helensburgh premises, as has been done in a number of other Scottish towns.

A petition has been launched to save the branch's closure (Image: PA)

MSP Jackie Baillie said: “I am dismayed by NatWest’s decision to close Helensburgh’s long-standing branch of the Royal Bank of Scotland.

“I understand that more customers are switching to digital banking but not everyone is able to use these services and there are many members of our communities who, for a variety of reasons, still need in-branch services.

“I have written to the Royal Bank of Scotland seeking a meeting and demanding that they review this decision. It is not acceptable for banks sitting on large profits to continue to axe services customers need, especially in the case of RBS, which has benefitted significantly from public funds.”

Councillor Fiona Howard, a member of the Helensburgh Business Group, said: "RBS has shown a singular lack of loyalty to the customers who have banked with them for years, to the businesses who use them every day, and to the Scottish taxpayers who contributed to the £45b government bailout which saved the bank from collapse in 2008 .

“They have suggested that Helensburgh and Lomond customers should travel to Dumbarton High Steet to bank at their branch there, with not a thought for those who live in the more distant parts of Helensburgh and Lomond, or for those who rely on public transport.

“The wonderful small businesses which give Helensburgh and Lomond its unique character will be crippled by this decision unable to bank the cash that they deal with daily or have easy access to change.

"I would like to see NatWest take another look at this and consider working with others to set up a banking hub in Helensburgh and I will be asking them to do so as a matter of urgency.”

To sign the petition online visit Change.org and search Stop RBS - Save Our Bank or click here.