Streatham MP launches petition to oppose ticket office closures in her constituency

The government has been forced to extend the public consultation on controversial plans to close over 1,000 train station ticket offices – including over 100 in South London alone – in a victory for passengers, campaigners and rail staff.

Passengers were initially given just 21 days to have their say on ticket office cuts. However, after the threat of legal challenges from disabled activists and Metro Mayors and over 170,000 consultation submissions to transport watchdogs, the deadline has now been extended until 1 September.

The consultation was criticised by local politicians and campaigners, who pointed to the haste of the process and the challenges many disabled people faced in contributing to it.

Prior to this, local councillors in Streatham joined Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP in writing to Govia Thameslink expressing concerns about ticket office closures and the company’s limited communication with local stakeholders.

Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the MP for Streatham, who started a petition to oppose ticket office closures in her constituency said:

“The government and rail industry tried to rush the consultations through because they know these unpopular cuts will make our railway networks worse for everyone and even more so for disabled passengers who rely on assisted travel and are already being systematically failed on that front.

Fortunately, round one in the campaign to keep ticket offices open and railway stations properly staffed goes to passengers, disability rights activists, and railway workers who all want the same thing: a railway that works for people, not profit.

Station ticket office staff help thousands of people to access public transport every single day. It’s vital that we keep pushing the Government to change course, scrap these plans, and save our ticket offices.”

Accessibility campaigner Sam Jennings said:

“We have pointed out misleading figures and untruths continuously across rail industry communications, reporting many to the Advertising Standards Authority. The RDG changing the language to “consultations on changes to how tickets are sold” is fooling no one.

This whole consultation is a sham and unlawful and the Department for Transport need to be much more honest about their true motivations here. They want ticket office closures to remove the statutory requirement for staff in those stations, allowing them to destaff these stations over the next three years.

This will leave hundreds of thousands more disabled by the railways, removing the right of passengers who require assistance for turn up and go travel and making this essential form of public transport dangerous for vulnerable passengers.”

Local St Leonard’s Ward Councillor Martin Abrams, who has led on the Lambeth Labour campaign against ticket office closures said:

“Our station ticket offices are absolutely vital for accessibility and passenger safety and provide good local jobs for our community.

With almost 200,000 people objecting to the proposals in just three weeks, the Train Operating Companies and Department for Transport need to listen to passengers, go back to the drawing board, and scrap these plans once and for all to ensure our railways are fully staffed, safe and accessible for everyone.”

Take action

Petition: Save Streatham’s Station Ticket Offices

Ticket offices – have your say – You can now have your say on proposals to change the way ticket offices are staffed

Sign the RMT petition

Lambeth Labour’s Petition

More info

RMT: SOS Save Our Stations