Councillor Ozzy O'Shea has welcomed the government announcement that it has asked train operators to withdraw proposals to close ticket offices at railway stations.
Back in July, Mr O'Shea, cabinet member for transport, wrote a strongly-worded letter to an independent watchdog opposing plans to close offices in the county, including those in Hinckley and Narborough. The proposals also affected Loughborough and Market Harborough with the ticket offices set to close, although the stations would have been staffed between 6am and 11pm.
Watchdog Transport Focus, along with London Travelwatch, said they received 750,000 responses from individuals and organisations in a public consultation, including "powerful and passionate concerns" about the potential changes.
I welcome today’s announcement by the Government. It was clear when I’ve been out and about in the county that these proposals were very unpopular.
Person: Councillor Ozzy O'Shea, cabinet member for transport
He added: “It had the potential to make train travel more difficult for some people and reduce their travel options, particularly users of the railway who are elderly and disabled. Train travel must be reasonable, accessible, and made as simple as possible.”