High praise for credit unions

Nov 6 2009 by Cheryl McEvoy, Ayrshire Post (main ed)

CREDIT unions play a vital role in the lives of communities.

That’s the view of MSP Cathy Jamieson.

For she insists that they help tackle financial inclusion, giving people access to savings and credit when they need it most.

The MSP for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley backed a motion in the Scottish Parliament recognising the roles credit unions play.

She said: “I am delighted to back the motion by my colleague Johann Lamont and send my congratulations to credit unions across Scotland for the role they play in tackling financial exclusion.

“I know that locally the Cumnock and Doon Valley Credit Union offers a fantastic service. They encourage saving and can provide credit when needed.”

Ms Jamieson added: “I hope that we can seriously look at developing the services credit unions provide.

“In countries like Ireland credit unions can offer a fuller range of financial services and I believe that we should look at following that example and allowing credit unions to play a much fuller role in the financial services industry.”