There's a nice picture of the Lib Dem candidate on his leaflet, standing outside Acocks Green Station with Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills. He must be being shown the station that is at risk of having the ticket office opening hours cut. Apparently the Secretary of State for Transport - sits with Vince at the cabinet table - has agreed some changes requested by London Midland. While we know that the original plan cut the opening hours - and thus the staff - at our popular station, we aren't allowed to know the decision that has been pending for months, even though it has apparently been taken.
You may also have seen the headline in the Birmingham Post that Acocks Green booking office is at risk from complete closure as a result of government plans to 'rationalise' the rail network ticketing process. This will also result in staff cuts and could make our station less safe for travellers. This is a separate threat to the station service and we won't know if the office is to be closed for a while yet.
Given how well-used the station is, I find it hard to understand why the excellent staff who look after it and keep an eye on what happens there are being threatened with redundancy. Shouldn't we be keeping them on to encourage use of the station?
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