AN OUTRAGED mayor has decried “another slap in the face for residents in Meirionnydd” following the decision by RBS to close Dolgellau’s NatWest branch, with the loss of four jobs.

Twenty NatWest branches across Wales will close next year with owners, The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), blaming changes in the way people use its services, with customers choosing to bank online or on mobile.

Dolgellau’s branch is scheduled for closure on 4 June next year, with the loss of four jobs.

Bankers at NatWest will now face a 68-mile round trip to visit their nearest branch in Aberystwyth.

Dolgellau mayor Delwyn Evans was appalled with the decision.

“It’s bad news, another slap in the face for residents in Meirionnydd,” he said.

“Dolgellau is meant to be a hub for south Gwynedd for organisations yet all we seem to do is lose services.

“We’ve lost the court, the tourist information centre and now the bank. What do we lose next, the hospital?

“I keep telling these people that if you close a bank somewhere like Bangor or Caernarfon, there’s another bank two minutes away by bus.

“Close it somewhere like Dolgellau and you face a two or three-hour bus ride and than find the bank invariably closed anyway.”

Cllr Evans was worried for the elderly and vulnerable in the town.

“Pensioners don’t have online accounts and don’t really want one. They want to deal with pounds, shillings and pence in their pocket,” he added.

“And what about the poor workers losing their jobs?

“It’s a sad day for us here. Between the Dyfi Bridge down south and The Cob in the north, it’s a desert here for services, an absolute desert.”

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