Save Hatfield Station’s ticket office

🚨Hertfordshire County Council fully opposes the closure of station ticket offices.🚨

Cllr Phil Bibby, Executive Member for Highway and Transport, said: “The railways play an important role in our communities and economy, and we are clear that any decisions about ticket offices and staffing need to be shaped by our residents and based on a clear understanding of the needs of our communities. We are concerned that the proposed closures will make it harder for some people to take the train, and at a time when we’re trying to encourage more people to use public transport, this isn’t something we can support.”

@everyone

I will be live on BBC Three Counties Radio from 2:35 speaking about the ticket office closure and the lack of response from Grant Shapps MP.

Great to be out speaking to passengers at Hatfield Station Today.
Couple of people signed the Petiton, 200 leaflets were handed to passengers.

We’re back on Thursday 9:30-10:30‼️
We’re close to 1000 signatures, come see us if you can.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/292891073411850/permalink/294187713282186/

We want to say a huge thank you to everyone of you who signed our petition to Save Hatfield Station’s Ticket office! 800 Passengers Signed this Petiton in 5 days, we’re hoping to get to 1000 signatures tomorrow when weren’t out giving out leaflets at the station. #SaveTicketOffices

Myself and a few others will be at the station giving out leaflets and talking to passengers.
Great to see our community coming to together to stop the closure of our ticket offices.

https://m.facebook.com/groups/292891073411850/permalink/293861566648134/

We’ve decided to set up a Facebook Group to update passengers and residents on the local petition, please join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/292891073411850/?ref=share_group_link

We are having a stall outside Hatfield Train Station on Tuesday, 18th of July, from 10AM‼️

If you know anyone who can’t sign the online petition to save our ticket office please let them know we’re going to be outside Hatfield Station on Tuesday. We’re giving our forms so people can have their say on the consultation too.

Grant Shapps, MP for Welwyn Hatfield was invited by me to attend our leafleting event outside Hatfield Train station next week and talk to passengers about the closure of our ticket offices. No Reply Yet, will our MP show up and stand with us on this?

Please remember to HAVE YOUR SAY on the consultation. Our local petition will be delivered to the Secretary of State for transport by the end of the month.

Reply from Andrew Lewin (Standing to be our next MP): “Hi Rody, thanks for raising such an important issue. I agree that the closures are wrong and am calling on the Conservative government to think again. I am especially concerned about elderly and disabled rail users.
Research by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), for instance, has found that only 3% of people with sight loss said they could use a ticket vending machine without problems and 58% said it was impossible. Grant Shapps was the Secretary of State for Transport until recently, but has done nothing to protect vulnerable passengers and appears to be silent on this issue. That won't be the case with the Labour Party, we'll be opposing these measures locally and nationally.”

Mr Shapps and Mr Lewin,
I am writing to express my concern over plans to close rail ticket offices in Welwyn Hatfield and across the country.
On 5 July, the Rail Delivery Group confirmed plans to move staff out of ticket offices
and into stations, with the consultation on these significant changes to last just 21
days.
This news will be deeply worrying to our residents, including elderly and disabled people, those employed in our rail industry, and everyone who relies on the support and advice provided by staff at ticket offices.

As a concerned resident and campaigner, I
am politely asking you to write to the Secretary of State for Transport and have your say on the public consultation. I would also like to invite you to support the local petition that will be delivered by me to the Secretary of State for transport by the end of the month.

I will be outside Hatfield Station next week giving out leaflets and asking residents to sign our petition.