Helen Martin: MSPs' bank closure inquiry better not be waste of time

THE Scottish Parliament's Economy, Jobs and Fair Work Committee is launching a survey and inquiry into the closure of bank branches in Scotland '“ currently standing at a massive 60 per cent in Edinburgh since 2010.
Theresa May has said her Government won't interfere over bank branch closures (Picture: AFP/Getty)Theresa May has said her Government won't interfere over bank branch closures (Picture: AFP/Getty)
Theresa May has said her Government won't interfere over bank branch closures (Picture: AFP/Getty)

They want to hear from personal customers and small businesses about the impact of this “relentless decline” and consider ways to tackle it.

Well, three cheers and good luck! I hope they succeed, but I also hope this is not just an expensive PR exercise to win public support by going through the motions.

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Theresa May and the UK Government claim they can’t and won’t interfere with banks’ commercial decisions.

Perhaps it would be better if Holyrood could figure out “tackling” methods before the survey (the results of which banks will completely ignore). If our devolved government is powerless to stop closures, this is a waste of time.