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Renewed calls have been made to the owner of the Clydesdale Bank to reverse its decision to shut its branch in Dumbarton.

It follows Virgin Money’s announcement in February that the branch was among 22 across Scotland that would be axed.

The company said a further 30 would be consolidated in a move linked to the process of integrating Virgin with CYBG, the former owner of Clydesdale Bank and Virgin Money. The two merged in a £1.9 billion deal announced in April 2018.

But the plans have been put on ice because of social distancing measures introduced to tackle the spread of the coronavirus, which has curbed the ability of staff to move around.

Virgin said last week that the “current situation with Covid-19” meant it had shelved its cost and branch-cutting plans “until further notice”.

Lucy Dimes, group business transformation officer at Virgin Money UK, said: “Our primary focus is on supporting our customers and protecting our colleagues during this challenging time.

“As a result of the impact of coronavirus in the UK, we have decided not to proceed with the integration changes we announced in February.”

However, local politicians and a business leader who hit out after February’s announcement have called on the bank’s owners to abandon the closure plans entirely.

Jackie Baillie MSP told the Reporter: “I am glad that Clydesdale has finally taken the decision to halt the closure of branches. But it shouldn’t take a pandemic for them to realise that closing bank branches would have a negative effect on local communities.

“I hope that when the current crisis eases and things start to return to normal, Clydesdale rethink their plans to close branches in order to ensure that local people are properly supported in the long term.”

Dumbarton councillor Brian Walker said: “I feel for the bank staff who now are unsure of their futures.

“People need a ‘local’ bank and not one located 30 miles away, which for certain folk is the distance they would need to travel.”

Damon Scott, chief executive of Dunbartonshire Chamber of Commerce, welcomed news that the closure was being halted.

He said: “The chance of retaining a bank branch in Dumbarton town centre is great news at a time during which isolation has become a real challenge.

“Town centres are at the heart of our communities and locally-based businesses help create a critical mass offering more reasons for visitation as well as supporting local jobs."