Chris Loder, MP for West Dorset, has today led a Westminster Hall debate scrutinising the proposed reforms to ticket offices staffing hours outlined by South Western Railway. In one of the most attended debates ever recorded in Westminster Hall, the local MP, who started his career before politics as a station assistant – the very role affected by the proposals – urged the Rail Minister to veto the ‘ridiculous proposals’.
In his speech, Mr Loder blasted SWR’s claim that the proposals of ‘moving staff from behind the ticket office window to be ‘out on the station’ with no change in staffed hours’ as ‘patently untrue in West Dorset’. He added that the proposals constituted a ‘disingenuous veil’ for slashing staffing hours by 40% at Sherborne Station, and by 55% at Dorchester South Station. The local MP continued:
“This is not reform. This is inequality, not just against those with mobility issues. But for the elderly and for those who are often without access to technology - driving still further issues of rural isolation. And what’s more, it goes to compound years of really poor service to the people of Dorset. Slashing the train service, totally cutting us off from direct trains to London for prolonged periods, removing all on board catering for train journeys of almost 3 and a half hours and dumping passengers at all times of day and night with no way to travel forward, just to save a few minutes in delay. These are just some examples of what my constituents face.”
