RBS to reduce NW offices

2 Sep 2010, 14:57

Hundreds of jobs at Royal Bank of Scotland business centres across the region are under threat after the bank said it will cut 3,500 jobs nationwide.

The state-owned bank will close 12 of its business operations centres: Ashton House in Bolton, which employs 200 people, Liverpool, with 300 staff, Enfield, Harrogate, Bristol, Borehamwood, Milton Keynes, Plymouth, Leeds, Telford, Bradford and Norwich. It will retain centres in Manchester, a second site in Bolton, Birmingham, Chatham, Edinburgh, Greenock, London, Rotherham, Southend and Menai.

RBS said some staff will be redeployed at other centres and the number of compulsory redundancies kept to a minimum.

The bank said the closures were caused by the forced sale of 318 of its branches to Santander, demanded by EU regulators following the government bail-out.

A statement from RBS said: "Having to cut jobs is the most difficult part of our work to rebuild RBS and repay taxpayers for their support.

"We continue to make efficiencies across our business and adjust our plans in line with the divestments we have been required to make by the EU. We will do all we can to support our staff, offer redeployment opportunities wherever possible and keep compulsory redundancies to an absolute minimum."

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