Abandonment of Slane's ATM to leave locals lighter of wallet

A warning that the closure of an ATM at Slane Credit Union, the only cash-dispensing machine in the centre of the village, will impact on the entire community and will affect tourism in the area, has been made by Cllr Wayne Harding. He condemned the cutting of the service which, he said, would cause major problems for local residents. Permanent TSB, which has been operating the ATM at Slane CU for a number of years, has indicated it will no longer operate the facility in the village. Cllr Harding said this was very disappointing as it was the only ATM machine in the village centre. "There is a machine at the garage outside the village, but it is closed when the garage is closed," he pointed out. He said the cost of operating the ATM would have been too much for the credit union to cover but he expressed anger at the bank. "It is incredible, considering all the public money that has been pumped into banks, that they can still turn around and treat communities in this way. This move will have an impact on the whole community as it was a much-used service. "It comes at a time when tourists will again start to visit the village and businesses hoping for an increase in trade see this as a real setback to the forthcoming summer," Cllr Harding added. He said he had been contacted by a number of local people who are very concerned and upset by the ATM closure. "This machine was widely used by by the whole community and by visitors, and it was a bonus to local businesses. Its closure is a huge inconvenience for everyone," he said. The Fianna Fail councillor said goodwill towards communities did not seem to be part of future plans of the financial institutions. He paid tribute to Slane Credit Union for its commitment to all parts of the community and said he would work in any way possible to ensure an alternate arrangement for the ATM. A spokesperson for Permanent TSB said it had offered to leave the ATM in place so Slane Credit Union could run it themselves at their own cost, but they had declined. Slane Credit Union would not comment on the issue.