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THERE is going to be a protest outside the NatWest in Llanfair Caereinion on Monday June 21, at 10.30am.
The protest is against the proposed changes to NatWest branches in Montgomeryshire, which include full time banking services in Llanfair being reduced to Tuesday and Friday only following cuts within the banking group.
Natwest has also selected local branches in Montgomery, Llanidloes and Llanfair Caereinion for reduced services.
Under the current arrangements, the regime change is proposed to start on Monday which will mean there will be no bank open in Llanfair Caereinion on Wednesday's and in Montgomery, NatWest, the only bank in town, will be open Thursday only.
Mick Bates AM for Montgomeryshire has spearheaded a campaign to get the NatWest to maintain services in branches or provide evidence to support the reduced services as well as consult with customers about which services could reasonably be reduced without compromising the customer experience too much.
Mr Bates had arranged a meeting last week to speak with NatWest officials, but their answers and actions were not satisfactory for the opposition.
Mick bates said: "The bank has been listening but not hearing our local concerns and they certainly haven't taken any real action so far.
"I was grateful to meet with representatives of NatWest but beyond the agreement to amend the one day of service in Montgomery from Wednesday to Thursday, the bank failed to deliver on customer concerns."
Having not achieved any real change, Mick Bates and the local representatives who met with the bank have put their names to an urgent letter requesting a delay in implementing the changes and asking the bank to undertake a full, open evaluation.
The Lib Dem AM is awaiting a telephone call with Brian Hartzer CEO of Retail Banking at RBS to discuss the proposals and local concerns.
"Its ironic really, Brian Hartzer, was lured to Edinburgh last August from a comfortable career in Australia, and has been talking to customers to find out what they want from the bank.
“They've kept it simple, and to the point. Hatzer says most people 'just want us to do the basic things well – shortening queues, extending opening hours, having a greater role in the community.'
“Yet here they are, reducing hours, shrinking the bank's role in the community, directing staff to branches with queues because in Llanfair, Llani and Montgomery there are rarely queues.
"Small rural towns are paying the price for headline grabbing service improvements in larger towns. Rural Wales is taking yet another hit from big businesses."
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