THE Scottish Greens have added their voice to calls for Santander to reverse its plan to shut the bank's Helensburgh branch.

The closure is one of 15 planned closures of Santander branches across Scotland and 140 across the UK.

The bank says counter transactions will be transferred to the Post Office after the branch closes on April 25, though Helensburgh customers wanting to visit a Santander branch in person after that date will have to travel to Glasgow to do so ­– a round trip of 50 miles.

READ MORE: Anger as Santander says Helensburgh branch will shut

Ross Greer, Green MSP for the west of Scotland region, made the call in a member's motion at the Scottish Parliament, which also urges a rethink of the bank's announcement that its Renfrew branch will close.

He said: “This closure will cause real disruption and inconvenience for many of Santander’s customers and it will further isolate elderly customers in particular, who are unable to travel miles to the next branch and who cannot access online banking.

"Bank branches are a vital part of most communities but they are rapidly disappearing. This is the inevitable result of a largely unregulated private banking industry more interested in its own bottom line than in customer service.

“I have written to Santander hope that, in conjunction with staff and their unions, they can work to find alternative solutions which protect local jobs and banking services.”

Mr Greer's motion states: "That the Parliament notes with concern the decision of Santander to close its branches in Renfrew and Helensburgh as part of a programme of planned closures across the country; understands that losing the Renfrew branch will leave customers having to travel a further three miles to Paisley for their next closest branch, and that losing the Helensburgh branch will leave local customers to take a 50-mile plus round trip into Glasgow; believes that bank branches are a vital part of the fabric of communities such as Renfrew and Helensburgh, particularly for people with limited mobility or no internet access; asks Santander to reconsider its decision to close these and the other branches; expresses its solidarity with those whose jobs are under threat because of these plans, and expects Santander to engage fully with staff trade unions at this time."

At the time this article was published, the motion had been signed by six other MSP's – Jackie Baillie, whose constituency includes Helensburgh, Mr Greer's Green Party colleague Patrick Harvie, Labour's Neil Bibby, Elaine Smith and Monica Lennon, and the SNP's Bob Doris.

Announcing details of the closure programme on Wednesday, Susan Allen, Santander's head of retail and business banking, said: “The way our customers are choosing to bank with us has changed dramatically in recent years.

“As a result, we have had to take some very difficult decisions over our less visited branches, and those where we have other branches in close proximity.

“We will support customers of closing branches to find alternative ways to bank with us that best suit their individual needs.

"We are also working alongside our unions to support colleagues through these changes and to find alternative roles for those impacted wherever possible."