{"id":3479,"date":"2015-03-27T12:24:55","date_gmt":"2015-03-27T12:24:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/unitelive.org\/?p=3479"},"modified":"2015-03-27T12:24:55","modified_gmt":"2015-03-27T12:24:55","slug":"civic-fightback-call","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/?p=3479","title":{"rendered":"Civic fightback call"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Banks \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who needs them? Well, actually, we all do. And news that thousands of local branches up and down the land could be set to close will not be taken lying down by campaigners and trade unions.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need a civic fightback on this; it’s in all our interests,” said Unite national officer for finance Rob MacGregor,\u00c2\u00a0 after details emerged yesterday (March 26) of an agreement between Vince Cable and the British Bankers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 Association.<\/p>\n

 
\nMacGregor estimates as many as half of all British high street banks may be set to close in the next few years as a result of the \u00e2\u20ac\u0098Access to Banking Protocol\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/a> deal.<\/p>\n

 
\nHe described this as giving \u00e2\u20ac\u015bstate approval\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 and \u00e2\u20ac\u015brubber stamping a vast closure model with no veto from the communities involved.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nMacGregor accused the Business Secretary of \u00e2\u20ac\u015bfailing miserably\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 and creating \u00e2\u20ac\u015bhavoc in communities through the closure programme.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 He also said Cable \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on record as saying branches \u00e2\u20ac\u0098can often be a lifeline\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c was now guilty of \u00e2\u20ac\u015bbetrayal and hypocrisy.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nAlmost five hundred branches were closed last year, more than double the total for 2013 \u00e2\u20ac\u201c including 124 which were the last bank in the community. Some 142 more are due to close before this April, more than a third of which are the last banks in the town or village.<\/p>\n

 
\nMacGregor scoffs at lenders being required to provide a 12-week notice period of any plans to close a branch. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bThis agreement is not a case of ‘we are talking about closing your branch’, it’s ‘we are<\/em> closing your branch’,” he said.<\/p>\n

 
\nHe\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s also convinced those most likely to shut their doors will be in deprived areas, rather than what he calls the \u00e2\u20ac\u015bshires and leafy suburbs\u00e2\u20ac\u0165, where middle class residents may be more apt to complain.<\/p>\n

 
\nFor their part, banks argue they are simply catering to the increased demand for online services, and that in many rural communities not enough customers come in on a given week.<\/p>\n

 
\nMacGregor acknowledges this point but believes lenders have short memories.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYes there has to be change because of the advance of online banking and so forth but banks must also remember how they have been fully supported by the taxpayer.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bThe entire banking system would have gone to the wall in 2008 had it not been for the British taxpayer. This is our finance industry and it belongs to all of us, not the well-heeled individuals who run it,”\u00c2\u00a0 he said.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bYet it seems the bosses of British banks have no interest in our communities,\u00e2\u20ac\u0165 he added. \u00e2\u20ac\u015bIt’s important to remember that bank branches, like pubs and post offices, are integral to community life.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nThat\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a point taken up by the Campaign for Community Banking Services, which estimates that more than 1200 communities in total have lost all their banks.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

“This protocol will be a disappointment to communities and bank customers affected by bank closures past, present and future who need much more commitment from the banks and government,” said CCBS director Derek French.<\/p>\n

 
\n\u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe had hoped for more progress and now look to the individual communities and small business organisations to keep up the pressure on the industry and the next government.\u00e2\u20ac\u0165<\/p>\n

 
\nWith the general election just around the corner, the future of banking and branches may be about to force its way onto the political agenda as people around the UK begin to realise the effect losing local branches would have on their towns and villages.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Banks \u00e2\u20ac\u201c who needs them? Well, actually, we all do. And news that thousands of local branches up and down the land could be set to close will not be taken lying down by campaigners and trade unions.   \u00e2\u20ac\u015bWe need a civic fightback on this; it’s in all our interests,” said Unite national officer […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[17],"tags":[32],"wps_subtitle":"Unite will not take bank closures threat lying down","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3479"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3480,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3479\/revisions\/3480"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3479"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3479"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/unitelive.test.igniteamt.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3479"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}