Concerns over the proposed closure of the ticket offices at Grantham and Stamford railway stations have been raised in a letter to the government from South Kesteven District Council

Concerns over the proposed closure of the ticket offices at Grantham and Stamford railway stations have been raised in a letter to the government on behalf of the district council.

Councillor Rhea Rayside, cabinet member for People and Communities at South Kesteven District Council, has written to the Rt Hon Mark Harper MP, secretary of state for transport.

In the letter, Coun Rayside refers to concerns over the proposal to close 33 out of 38 station ticket offices in the East Midlands, including Grantham and Stamford.

She said: “Your proposal will result in the staffed ticket office at Stamford being replaced with a ‘weekly visit’ staffing alternative. Although Grantham Station will retain a staffed presence from the first to last train, it will also lose its staffed ticket office facility as part of your proposals.

“This will impact many of our residents or visitors who travel in and out of the district via rail every day, some of whom will rely on ticket office staff either for information on their travel arrangements or the purchase and collection of tickets and other products.”

Coun Rayside said ticket machines did not always offer the best fare options and were “not user friendly”.

She added: “This will especially be the case for those who are elderly or vulnerable. Additionally, unfamiliar stations can be very daunting to visitors, including young people, those with disabilities (particularly those with visual impairments), the elderly and anyone struggling with anxiety.

“Having staff physically on hand at stations will help to ensure that those unable to use the ticket machines can still purchase tickets or other products, as well as provide valuable reassurance and advice to many travellers using services at the stations.”

The cabinet member said that a similar idea had been proposed with regards to the council’s arts centres but it had been ditched because it was evident that the removal of an in-person ticketing service would be detrimental to many customers.

In her letter, she asks for reassurances that if the proposal goes ahead passengers will not fined if they have the wrong tickets or cannot get tickets from the machines.

She said: “I am concerned that the changes you are seeking to introduce will have a detrimental impact on existing rail customers, but also put people off using the railways as a means of public travel due to losing an important aspect of its customer facing accessibility and support.

“It is on this basis that I, on behalf of the council, cannot support your proposals to remove staff ticket offices at stations located in the district of South Kesteven and the East Midlands region.”