In a very informative couple of sessions at the Scottish Affairs Select Committee on Tuesday and Wednesday, I heard evidence from banking figures as to their take on the wave of branch closures we have seen in the last few years.
Last May, Royal Bank of Scotland’s 81-year relationship with Banff ended after the branch doors were closed for the last time.
One of the bosses at RBS said many of the High Streets they have withdrawn from are already “gone”, which seems to remove their responsibility to some communities.
I asked just what steps the bank had taken to slow down decline, regenerate the high street, rather than administer the last rites and pull down the shutters.
I just don’t accept that any high street can be gone.
The TSB are the latest to announce a reduction of hours for many of its branches, such as Turriff, while keeping absolute closures to a minimum.
I think any schemes which keep TSB or any other bank in our communities must be considered.
It’s just a shame that, according to Tuesday’s evidence, no one at the Royal Bank seemed to think anything was worth trying.
In a great piece of news for Banff and the surrounding area, the Duke of Rothesay was welcomed to meet local Scouts and tour Banff Museum.
The 18th Century 1st Macduff Scout Hut is one of the oldest surviving buildings here and His Royal Highness saw the attention to detail that’s been put into its refurbishment.
On a silvery theme, he visited the Smiddy Centre of Excellence for Silversmithing and Jewellery, a social enterprise which helps a lot of youngsters into a valuable trade.
At one time, Banff was the second largest silver producer in the north east, second only to Aberdeen, which is the focus of the silverware collection at Banff Museum.
I wasn’t able to attend due to being at Westminster but this visit really helped draw attention to the town and Macduff, and the thriving and vibrant communities we are privileged to live in.
According to statistics that I previously obtained from NHS Grampian, the Chalmers Hospital is one of our busiest local services.
So Wednesday’s announcement by the integrated joint board, that it would prefer to cut MIU hours after 6pm, is disappointing.
According to its own NRAC formula, the SNP government shortchanged NHS Grampian out of £7.7m in the last year alone, and to the tune of almost £240 million over the last decade.
As a result, many of our health centres, casualty units and minor injury units - including Banff as well as Turriff - are up for review.
This is a direct result of the SNP giving the North East a raw deal, while profiting from the bounty of our industries and taxpayers. It is clear that only the Scottish Conservatives can stand up to the SNP – and ensure this area gets a fair deal.
Last week I saw an excellent show put on at Alvah Parish Hall, organised by the Alvah and Forglen Community Council, Arts Group.
There are many beautiful halls all around my constituency which are often used for coffee mornings and other fundraising events.
It is great to see them fulfil the role of bringing acts to the stage, for which many of them had been designed in the first place.