Bedford branch of Royal Bank of Scotland set to close

The bank announced this week its plan to shut 162 branches across England and Wales at the cost of 792 jobs, with staff offered voluntary redundancy.

The Bedford branch in Mill Street is earmarked for closure on November 26.

An RBS spokesperson said: “We realise this is difficult news for our colleagues and we are doing everything we can to support those affected. We will ensure compulsory redundancies are kept to an absolute minimum.”

RBS say branch transactions have plummeted by 30 per cent since 2014. Over the same period there has been a 53 per cent increase in the number of customers using mobile banking.

RBS will be writing to customers to highlight the alternative ways to bank locally.

Technology has also been developed to enable RBS custom to use NatWest branches for their everyday banking, such as withdrawing cash, checking balances or paying in money.