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Senior Conservative backbenchers have accused the Government of “bad politics” over
ticket office closures as they warned it could cost the party votes.
Rail firms have unveiled plans to
shut hundreds of kiosks across the country as part of a consultation backed by ministers.
However, the offices received a
reprieve last month after the exercise was extended by five weeks, amid criticism from disability groups and passengers who say many people still rely on the facilities.
Two dozen Tory MPs have now raised concerns about the impact on their constituents, with some urging Downing Street to rethink its position.
One former Cabinet minister said: “It’s really crap politics to be doing this now, just before a general election. Ministers at the [Department for Transport] clearly don’t have a grip over their civil servants and the railways.
“They should have absolutely just said no this close to an election. It’s the sort of thing you’d want to spend much longer thinking about and figure out how it’ll affect village stations.”
Another former minister said: “The people who are going to be impacted are Conservative supporters. It just gives the sense that we really don’t care about basic services for people that they fork out for.”
Another former minister said: “The people who are going to be impacted are Conservative supporters. It just gives the sense that we really don’t care about basic services for people that they fork out for.”
“Bromley as a borough has the largest pensioner population in Greater London, so we have more people in that situation,” Sir Bob said.
“It’d be absolutely wrong to close them unless and until there is an absolute guarantee that the stations will continue to be manned and continue to be manned all the time and that they are operating.”
Elderly may feel ‘vulnerable’
He warned that women and the elderly may feel “particularly vulnerable coming home late at night if there’s nobody at the station”, echoing safety concerns raised by various campaigning groups.
Sir John Redwood, a former Cabinet minister and the MP for Wokingham, said a lot of passengers who use the railways for leisure are retired.
“They tend to like to buy a ticket in person rather than doing everything online, so I would be a bit nervous about being willing to close all those offices down and alienate what I think is an important chunk of their market now,” Sir John said.
Opposition to the closures has spanned the political spectrum. Last month, 21 Left-wing MPs signed an early day motion arguing ticket office staff are “essential to the smooth running of the rail network”.
Louise Haigh, Labour’s shadow transport secretary, has warned about the impact on “vulnerable rail users”.
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Train operator consultations on ticket offices are ongoing and no final decisions have been made.”
