Union boss Mick Lynch tells MPs rail ticket office consultations was a 'sham'

13 September 2023 , 08:59

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Union boss Mick Lynch tells MPs rail ticket office consultations was a 'sham'

Mick Lynch has branded a consultation on plans to shut nearly 1,000 ticket offices in England a "sham" and a "controlled show".

Addressing MPs the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union general secretary said the cull was "designed to be rammed through while people were looking back the other way". More than 680,000 have responded to a consultation on the closures.

The move has sparked fears that disabled, elderly and vulnerable passengers will be heavily hit by the closure of 974 ticket counters at railway stations. The Tory-backed cull has sparked a wave of protests.

Mr Lynch told members of the cross-party Commons Transport Select Committee: "We think the whole thing has been a sham designed to be rammed through while people were looking the other way. It all goes back to the Secretary of State (Mark Harper).

"The Secretary of State initiated these changes through the contracts he has with the TOCs (train operating companies). He directs everything they do these days, every letter that's sent, he gets access to.

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"Of course, if the watchdogs object (to the closures) on the limited basis they're allowed to, the decision will end up with him as well. It's a controlled show.

"The whole thing is designed so that they can force this through in a way that they want."

At the weekend Rishi Sunak refused to say whether he will listen to those opposing the closures by forcing rail firms to abandon the cull. Asked if he will respect the wishes of people if the consultation finds the majority of people don’t want their local ticket office closed, Mr Sunak told reporters: “The whole point about a consultation is that we don't pre-empt the conclusions of them.”

He added: “It's right that our railway network is modernised and is put on a sustainable footing. That's the right thing for the British public and British taxpayers and recognises the fact that I think only one in 10 tickets are sold currently in ticket offices."

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Neil Lancefield