LOCAL politicians have rejoiced after finding out that plans to close the majority of railway station ticket offices in England have been scrapped.

Transport secretary Mark Harper has announced that all train operators have been asked to withdraw the proposals as they “do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers”.

These plans were brought forward by train operators in July with support from the government, which put pressure on the sector to cut costs.

In September, prime minister Rishi Sunak suggested closing ticket offices was “the right thing for the British public and British taxpayers” as “only one in 10 tickets are sold currently in ticket offices”.

However, no figure was published showing how much money would have been saved with the proposals.

A train operator source told the PA news agency: “There is quiet fury in the rail industry about where we’ve got to.

“The plan was signed off by civil servants and ministers and now they’ve U-turned.”

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, CDC cabinet member for health, leisure and culture, was one of the local councillors campaigning against the proposed closure of ticket offices at Kemble, Moreton-in-Marsh and Kingham stations earlier this year and is thrilled to hear about the government's U-turn.

He strongly believes that these ticket offices offer invaluable assurance and confidence to customers seeking assistance with ticket-related inquiries, especially in more rural train stations such as Kemble.

Concerns were also raised about impact the ticket office closures could have on elderly and disabled residents, as well as those who may have limited IT skills.

Commenting on the decision to scrap these proposals, Cllr Hodgkinson said: "I’m delighted that the government has done a U-turn on this issue and are saving our rail ticket offices from closure. 

"Hundreds of people signed my petition to keep Moreton-in-Marsh ticket office open and I’d like to thank them for their support.
 
"In September councillors at Cotswold District Council backed my call for the ticket offices at Kemble, Kingham and Moreton to be saved. 

"I’m sure all this has had an impact. 

"Many of us really value the human contact which rail ticket offices give - this reprieve is a great example of people power in action.”

Similarly, the MP for the Cotswolds constituency, Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, is also delighted to hear that the plans to close local ticket offices have been scrapped. 
 
Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown said: “This proposal was clearly unpopular with a large number of rail users. 

"Many MPs including myself lobbied the government to abandon these plans and I therefore warmly welcome this outcome.”