District’s support for station staff

South Holland was one of the areas that has shown the most opposition to the closure of ticket offices at stations, MP Sir John Hayes said.

A total of 120,000 signatures were secured by petitions to force a debate on the proposal in Parliament.
South Holland residents made up the sixth highest location in the country of those who signed.
Railway companies including East Midlands Trains have been consulting on whether to close the offices which are currently manned at certain times, including Spalding’s.
“The people in Spalding want human interaction,” Sir John told the debate that was held last week. “This is about the common good of the communities we serve.
“We are unpicking the threads that bind us together and make up the tapestry of civilised life,” he said. “This is about the common good of the communities we serve.”
Sir John said afterwards: “The hugely impressive number of people from our area who signed the petition calling for this debate demonstrates the strength of feeling locally in support of the campaign I have led against closing Spalding Station’s ticket office.
“I pay particular tribute to Coun Jan Whitbourn for her efforts in securing so many signatures.
“I recently met the Managing Director of East Midland Trains, who are responsible for the station, in Spalding and made clear that replacing staff at the station with ticket machines would be unfair especially to the elderly, disabled and vulnerable people who depend on human interactions.
Sir John added “I have spoken directly to the Transport Secretary Mark Harper to make my feelings felt on this matter. There must be no reduction in the number of hours where ticketing expertise is available at Spalding Station. I want the same level of staffing there available to perform a range of roles where that is appropriate to assist travellers.”
“I hope that East Midlands Trains do the right thing and rethink their plans.”