10 June 2020
By Mary Bermingham
mary@TheCork.ie
Business News
Fianna Fáil TD for Cork North-West, Michael Moynihan has welcomed confirmation from Bank of Ireland (BoI) that its Kanturk branch will reopen on a full-time basis from June 29th but said the downgrading of the Millstreet branch hours is completely unacceptable.
Deputy Moynihan, who has been in contact with BoI, said the Millstreet branch will only be opening from 10 am until 1pm, five days per week. He has urged BoI to reopen the branch on a full-time basis as was the case before the COVID-19 pandemic.
He explained, “At the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak many smaller BoI branches were forced to shut with local people very concerned that they may be downgraded or closed permanently.
“While I welcome confirmation of the reopening of both branches, I don’t accept the restricting of hours in Millstreet.
“The country is starting to reopen, and the wheels of local economies are starting to move – we can’t be putting any additional hardship on these businesses by curtailing access to local branches.
“Similarly, people are being urged to shop local, which I wholeheartedly agree with. However, if they have to travel to another town to carry out their banking then we run the risk that they will also do their shopping and errands there too.
“I will continue to make representations to BoI to ensure that they restore their Millstreet branch to full-time hours,” concluded Deputy Moynihan.
