SINN Féin Balmoral Councillor Geraldine McAteer has secured Belfast City Council support in the fight against Ulster Bank closures in South Belfast.
The bank plans to close its Ormeau Road branch on February 20 and the University Road branch on March 12.
Councillor McAteer brought a motion before members calling on Council to support the Financial Services Unions (FSU) and to write to Ulster Bank calling on them to reverse the closures, protect jobs and maintain its branch network. The motion supported efforts that would protect local communities and prevent further branch closures in the years to come.
The motion was seconded by her SF colleague Councillor John Gormley and was passed unanimously without debate.
“I am delighted that Belfast City Council backed my motion calling on Ulster Bank to reverse its decision to close two banks in South Belfast," said Councillor McAteer.
"Council will now be contacting Ulster Bank calling on them to reverse the bank closures in South Belfast, protect jobs, support our local communities – particularly vulnerable customers – and prevent further branch closures in the next few years.
"These closures will not only impact staff, but also customers and businesses in South Belfast.
"The closures will result in the removal of face-to-face services and ready access by customers to deposit or withdraw their own cash. This will particularly impact the more vulnerable people in South Belfast, particularly those who are more elderly, who have tended to be with the same bank and branch for years.
"This is a shocking abandonment of Ulster Bank's loyal customer base. The Ulster Bank states that the over-60s customers can access mobile phones banking apps, online banking and have face-to-face financial health checks online."
Before the meeting on Monday night, Cllr McAteer invited the Financial Services Union to speak at the Council meeting.
FSU General Secretary, John O’Connell, travelled from Dublin and was joined by his union colleagues, Brian McDowell and Joe Allsopp.
Addressing councillors, Mr O'Connell said: "Between May 2020 and January 2023, banks in the North permanently closed 52 branches – 27 per cent of total network.
"Ulster Bank intend to close ten branches, which will affect 52 employees, 8,000 vulnerable customers and thousands of ordinary customers.
"We have visited every branch and spoken to all the staff who are all distressed about redeployment to another branch or redundancy.
"The closures were announced without consulting key stakeholders, customers, local politicians and communities, which is not the best way to manage change.
"The North has unique banking needs and a vibrant banking network is part of those needs.
"The decision to close ten Ulster Bank branches must be reversed."
