A Tipperary County Councillor remains unconvinced that AIB will not try to close their branches in a number of towns in the Premier.
The bank rowed back on plans to end all cash transactions in Cahir, Cashel, Carrick on Suir and Roscrea earlier this year following significant public outcry.
AIB recently gave assurances that these plans were no off the agenda.
However Cahir based Councillor Andy Moloney has received the backing of his Council colleagues to request the Minister for Finance to step in and ensure the plan is not revisited.
“The Bank of Ireland walked out of Cahir and people just waved goodbye.
“But AIB cannot leave because the first port of call for a lot of the cruise ships coming from Southampton is the ATM here in the town of Cahir. People like to get a bit of cash in their pockets – if they have cash in their pockets they will spend it. Some of the shopkeepers here will tell you that they’ve seen an increase in cruise people coming to their shops.
“So we need the banking facilities here – we’re not set up for a cashless society – internet infrastructure and all that is not in place. Cash is still legal tender”
Andy Moloney told Tipp FM that the Finance Minister is to be lobbied on the issue.
“We need to hold on to at least one financial institution where people can walk down, get change, go in and do their business in their bank and also have the ATM facilities in a public place.
“That’s what we need and it’s not going to go without a fight. We’re just making people aware it’s not gone away (the downgrading of services) as far as I’m concerned it’s just postponed temporarily.”
