Poynton Town Councillors along with the Town Clerk met last week with the Area Director and Poynton Branch Manager of Royal Bank of Scotland to express both disappointment and concern regarding the recently announced closure of the last bank branch in Poynton scheduled for November 2018.

At the meeting the Councillors said that the decision of the Royal Bank of Scotland board took no account of both the social impact on our older residents and the impact on local business. It was also  pointed out that Poynton is a growing town with additional housing planned over the coming years. They also asked why our branch was closing when both RBS and National Westminster (both part of the same group) were remaining open in Hazel Grove despite their close proximity. On this point the Area Director said he had not been given any insight into the selection of branches that were designated for closure.

Local Manager, Andrea Dalton, made a commitment to provide individual reviews to customers and businesses designed to offer personalised and practical support to those affected by this planned closure. She also has plans to meet with Poynton Post Office management with a view to supporting them in offering as much support to customers as possible.

The Town Council suggests that if you have any concerns about your future banking arrangements, you contact the branch where staff will be available to take you through the options that are available to all account holders.

If local residents have concerns regarding the forthcoming closure of the Royal Bank of Scotland, you  can write directly to Mr Ross McEwan, CEO, RBS Group, 36 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Scotland EH2 2YB, with a copy to Mr David Rutley, MP.

The Town Council has written to Mr McEwan asking him to review the decision to close the Poynton branch, and written to Mr Rutley MP, asking him to make representations to Mr McEwen.