Residents and businesses have until 5pm on Tuesday 14th August to feed in to the review of RBS branch closures, it has been announced.
Local MP John Lamont, who spoke with Johnston Carmichael this week, is encouraging Borderers to make their views known either directly to the review or through their Member of Parliament.
Johnston Carmichael have set up a dedicated webpage (https://johnstoncarmichael.com/rbsbranchreview), as well as an email address (RBSbranchreview@jcca.co.uk) and postal address (The Royal Bank of Scotland Review Team, Johnston Carmichael LLP, 29 Albyn Place, Aberdeen AB10 1YL) for residents.
They have also offered anyone who wants it 20-minute appointments at the Melrose branch, at a date to be confirmed.
Last month it was announced by the bank that Johnston Carmichael, Scotland’s largest independent firm of Chartered Accountants and Business Advisers will carry out the review into Melrose branch, earmarked for closure at the end of the year.
The review is set to conclude in September and RBS have agreed to implement whatever is recommended by Johnston Carmichael “in full.”
This week local MP John Lamont spoke with the accountants about their review and repeated his insistence that the Melrose branch must stay open in the long term.
John Lamont MP said: “I am disappointed that this review will be rushed through in just a few months because RBS took so long to appoint someone.
“However after speaking with Johnston Carmichael directly, I am more confident that it isn’t a done deal.
“Now residents and businesses who think the RBS branch is a vital service can get in touch with the review directly ,via email or by writing to them. People will also be able to have face to face appointments at the Melrose branch. Alternatively, constituents can get in touch with myself and I will gather together all the responses I receive.
“Hundreds of people turned up to my public meeting in Melrose about these closures. If that same level of opposition to the closures is made clear to the review, I am confident we have a really good chance of saving Melrose.”