Andy Burnham has vowed to “keep fighting” to make sure train station ticket offices don’t permanently close.
In case you’re not quite up to speed, the Mayor of Greater Manchester has been leading a campaign group of four northern mayors who are taking legal action over the proposed closure of train station ticket offices in England, after the government-run Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled plans back in July back to “bring station staff closer to customers” by moving them out of ticket offices and onto platforms and concourses instead.
Around three out of five train stations in England currently have a staffed ticket office, but all that could change moving forward, with just under 1,000 of them earmarked to close – including at some of the UK’s busiest stations, such as Manchester Piccadilly.
In a letter penned to Transport Secretary Mark Harper to express his discontent at the proposed closures, the Greater Manchester Mayor also called for an “immediate suspension” to rail operator Northern‘s process.
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He claimed he had “no other option” but to take legal action.
Andy Burnham vows to ‘keep fighting’ to stop train station ticket offices closing / Credit: RDG
But now, after a consultation on the proposed closure of ticket offices has officially come to an end, Mr Burnham has joined his fellow mayors – the others of which are Mayor of Liverpool Steve Rotheram, Mayor of West Yorkshire Tracy Brabin, and Mayor of South Yorkshire Oliver Coppard – they calling for “the right thing to be done by stopping the plans now” in a joint statement.
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“The train companies initially tried to push the closure of ticket offices through, under the radar,” the Mayors’ joint statement reads.
“But together, we made them listen.
🗣️ “There is still an opportunity here to do the right thing and stop these plans now. In the meantime, we stand firm, and we will keep fighting.”
Andy and other England mayors issue joint statement as consultation to close almost all ticket offices ends https://t.co/BIBDA03UZ3
— Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham (@MayorofGM) September 1, 2023
“Our legal challenge resulted in the operators extending the consultation process, addressing unfair accessibility issues and producing Equality Impact Assessments which are vital in assessing the plans [and] this meant that more people were able to have their say on the plans – and may otherwise have remained unheard.
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“The law is clear that operators cannot close parts of stations without following the clear procedure set out in the Railways Act 2005.
“This procedure has still not been followed and the process of our legal challenge with the train firms around this remains ongoing.
Thank you to everyone who has supported the call to #SaveTicketOffices. 🙏🏻
You would think even this Government will now have to listen and drop the plans.
If they don’t, you’ve given myself and other Mayors a clear mandate to continue with our legal challenge. 👍🏻 pic.twitter.com/6cVLZjogxG
“Closing ticket offices will hit the most vulnerable hardest [and] at a time when we need more people using the railways, these plans would have the opposite effect.
“All eyes are now on Transport Focus to see how they respond to the hundreds of thousands of responses that we believe they have received, as there is still an opportunity here to do the right thing and stop these plans now.
“But in the meantime, we stand firm – and we will keep fighting.”
Featured Image – RDG
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Manchester’s libraries to become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi this winter
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s libraries are set to become ‘warm welcome spaces’ offering free hot drinks and internet access to those in need again this winter.
After millions of local residents visited the ‘stigma-free safe spaces’ to escape and take refuge from the cold each year since they were first introduced in 2022, Manchester City Council has decided to reintroduce its popular ‘Warm Welcome Spaces’ scheme again this year during the chillier months.
All 22 of Manchester‘s public libraries are, once again, taking part in the scheme this time around.
Designed to ‘provide support to people who need it’ over some of the most challenging months of the year when temperatures drop, the Council’s scheme is offering a range of different services – and they’re all for free of charge.
Free hot drinks, WiFi and internet access, data SIM cards, and newspapers are just some of the things people can make the most of inside these ‘warm spaces’, as well as get access to information, advice, and extra signposting to other support services they made need in the city.
Manchester’s libraries will become ‘warm spaces’ with free hot drinks and WiFi again this winter / Credit: Haydon Waldeck | koolshooters (Pexels)
There will be age-friendly spaces to connect with others, story times once a week at 11am for children under five, and even weekly digital drop-ins too.
Manchester Central Library, Miles Platting Community Library, Hulme High Street Library, Beswick Library, Longsight Library, and Abraham Moss Library are just some of the libraries taking part this winter.
All 22 libraries will be free to enter, and the Council says people can stay in them ‘for as long as you like’.
“For many years, the Council has been a proud supporter of the Warm Welcome Spaces initiative,” explained Councillor Thomas Robinson, who is the Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care at Manchester City Council.
“In Manchester we have been all too aware of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis and the hardships people have suffered as a result.
“It’s not an exaggeration to say this work has the potential to be lifesaving. The simple act of offering a person a safe place where they can interact with other Mancunians, to not feel alone or get the help they need, can have a lasting and meaningful impact.”
Find your local free ‘Warm Welcome Space’ in Manchester here.
Featured Image – RawPixel
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University fees set to increase in line with inflation but Government promises ‘better outcomes’ for students
Emily Sergeant
University tuition fees are set to increase in line with forecasted inflation for the next two academic years, the Government has announced.
Last year was the first year, since 2017, that tuition fees were increased in line with inflation, and now that the Office for Students is forecasting that 43% of institutions will be in deficit without further action to ‘shore up’ their finances, the Government has announced in its ‘landmark’ Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper – published this week – that fees will need to rise again.
To support universities in continuing to deliver world-class teaching and research, tuition fees will rise in line with forecast inflation for the next two academic years.
According to the Department for Education, legislation will then be brought forward, when parliamentary time allows, to enable automatic increases to fee caps in future years in line with inflation – but this will only be institutions that meet tough new quality thresholds set by the Office for Students.
Where standards are deemed to ‘fall short’, the Office for Students will then act quickly to stop the expansion of low-quality courses and will aim to hold providers to account.
University fees are set to increase in line with inflation for the next two years / Credit: PickPik
Universities that underperform could face financial and regulatory consequences, the Government has confirmed, as a way of ensuring public money is spent only on courses that deliver for students and the economy overall.
“Young people from all backgrounds feel they have been let down by a system that talks about opportunity but too often fails to deliver it,” commented Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, as the White Paper was published this week.
“Universities charge significant fees for their courses, but if they are going to charge the maximum, it is right that they deliver the world-class education students expect.
“These reforms will ensure value for money, higher standards across our universities and colleges and a renewed focus on the skills our economy needs.”
The Government has also said it will also work with universities and local authorities to ensure they offer ‘adequate accommodation’ for their students.
It will also support efforts to drive down the cost of living going forward.
Emily Sergeant -
4th September 2023 
