Patricia Gibson (North Ayrshire and Arran) (SNP)
This petition from the residents of the North Ayrshire and Arran constituency attracted 559 signatures, which were gathered by me, dedicated Kilwinning Scottish National party activists, and our Kilwinning SNP councillor, Scott Davidson.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of North Ayrshire & Arran,
Declares that proposed closure of the 3 branches of the publicly-owned Royal Bank of Scotland in the areas of Kilbirnie, Kilwinning & Saltcoats will have a detrimental effect on local communities and the local economy.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges Her Majesty’s Treasury, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Royal Bank of Scotland to take into account the concerns of petitioners and take whatever steps they can to halt the planned closure of these branches.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002136]
Neil Gray (Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
I rise to present this petition from the residents in and around Airdrie in my constituency who are opposed to the closure of the Royal Bank of Scotland branch in the town. The petition gathered several hundred signatures, as local private customers and businesses who will be impacted by the closure wished to voice their displeasure. I hope that through this petition and others presented by my right hon. and hon. Friends, the bank may see sense and call a halt to the closures. That is a more distant hope when we see today’s news of further RBS closures, following last week’s announcement of the bank’s £1.2 billion first quarter pre-tax profit. That profit could easily be used to maintain a better branch network than the one that is currently being decimated. It is time that the UK Government used their shareholding on behalf of the taxpayer and acted.
The petition states:
The petition of residents of Airdrie and its surrounding area,
Declares that the closure of the town's Royal Bank of Scotland branch will have a detrimental effect on both the people of Airdrie and the town centre itself.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons asks the Royal Bank of Scotland board to revisit the decision given that the bank is still 70% publicly owned.
And the petitioners remain, etc.
[P002142]