RBS bosses to meet local residents over bank closure

RESIDENTS are to meet officials from the Royal Bank of Scotland this week about the controversial closure of one of its Inverness branches.

RBS intends to shut its Tomnahurich office in November claiming it is not busy enough.

The five staff employed would be moved to RBS’s other branches in the city centre and Longman.

However, the move has angered the local and business community on the west side of the city and more than 120 people have signed a petition calling for the decision to be reversed.

Stuart Hunter, who runs sandwich shop Bon Appetit next door the bank, and 88-year-old Elizabeth Davis organised the petition which has been backed by Highland councillors Hamish Wood (Inverness West) and Janet Campbell (Inverness Central).

They claim the loss of the branch, which is understood to have traded at its current location for at least 80 years, was unfair and would cause major inconvenience for customers living on the west of the River Ness.

Miss Davis, of Bruce Gardens, Dalneigh, said a meeting with the bank’s management had been arranged for Friday after a request was made.

"It is a step in the right direction," said Miss Davis. "It is absolutely amazing just how many people use that bank and who will be inconvenienced by its closure."

The campaigners want RBS to outline the detailed reasons for shutting the branch and argue their case why it should remain open.