Rail ticket office u-turn described as great victory for Leighton Buzzard residents

Andrew Selous MP urged residents to get involved in the consultations on the proposed closures

Local Liberal Democrats are celebrating after the Government performed a u-turn and asked the rail operating companies to scrap plans to close ticket offices.

The Liberal Democrats say they led the campaign on Central Bedfordshire Council to oppose the plans. They secured cross-party support for their motion condemning the plans and making the council's opposition known to the Secretary of State.

Under the proposals, ticket offices at stations such as Leighton Buzzard would have been closed with limited assistance provided to vulnerable passengers.

The group’s motion said: “Council believes that ticket offices provide a vital service to residents in stations across Central Bedfordshire and support passenger safety, security and accessibility. Having a central place in the station for people requiring advice and assistance provides certainty and confidence for customers who may struggle to otherwise locate station staff and also acts as a point of safety for passengers. At many stations, access to facilities such as toilets and waiting rooms is reliant on ticket office staff.”

Leader of the Liberal Democrats on Central Bedfordshire Council, Cllr Shaun Roberts: "This is a fantastic victory for local residents many of whom told the Conservative Government in no uncertain terms that these half-baked plans were a mistake.

"I'm proud of the role the Liberal Democrats played on Central Bedfordshire Council in bringing all parties together to oppose these ridiculous plans. We will be keeping a vigilant eye to make sure these proposals don't return and that services aren’t diminished via the back door."

Conservative South West Bedfordshire MP Andrew Selous said: “I’m delighted that we are going to keep our ticket office at the station. Ticket offices are essential for many disabled travellers. I have been grateful for a friendly face at ticket, office windows myself on a number of occasions. I argued strongly that it would be wrong to close them and I’m glad that common sense has prevailed.”

A national consultations into plans to close ticket offices at rail stations received around 750,000 responses, 99% of which were objections. Plans to close the offices were scrapped this week.