On Thursday, please join us at the RMT march and rally to Save Ticket Offices. Join the march or go directly to the rally opposite Downing Street, if easier. RMT info page here.
5pm assemble Department for Transport, 33 Horseferry Road London SW1P 4DR
5.30pm March moves off
6pm Rally opposite 10 Downing Street, SW1A 2AA
More events
DPAC North East and Cumbria protest at Newcastle station, 3pm-4.30pm:
11.30-1.30pm National Federation of the Blind UK and other disability organisations are again presenting the NFBUK petition to Downing Street.
NFBUK press release and list of 182 supporting organisations, below:
“Disabled & Older Peoples Organisations To Petition Prime Minister Demanding All Train Ticket Offices To Be Kept Open & Open For Longer — 31 August 2023
Petitioning Number 10 from 11.30 to 1.30pm at 10 Downing Street, London
Representatives from 8 Disabled and Older Peoples Organisations will petition the Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to ditch the discriminatory plans to close up to 1000 train ticket offices across England. The petition also demands that part-time staffed train stations are staffed full time and unstaffed train stations become staffed. The overwhelming response from the public to the consultation has shown how important and valued ticket offices are across the country. There will be 3 teams of petitioners going into petition Number 10 – starts 11.30am and ends at 1.30pm.
- National Federation of the Blind of the UK – 5 Representatives from Manchester, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, London, Surrey
- National Pensioners Convention – General Secretary from Newcastle and is the UK representative
- Association of British Commuters – Representative from the South and is UK wide representative
- WinVisible (women with disabilities) – Representative from London and is UK wide representative
- Inclusion London – Representative from London
- Manchester Coalition of Disabled People – Representative from Greater Manchester
- Surrey Coalition of Disabled People – Two representatives from London
- Disabled People Against Cuts DPAC – Representatives from Kent / South
The Petition The NFBUK is petitioning the Prime Minister to ensure our safety, security, accessibility and ability to independently travel by train in England and across the UK. The wording of the petition therefore states the following:
1: For all ticket offices to remain open and all staffed stations to remain staffed at all times with safe level of staffing.
2: For all trains to have guards (also known as train managers or conductors) at all times.
3: For all unstaffed stations to become staffed at all times with safe level of staffing.
The petition is backed by over 180 supporting organisations and the list is given below. NFBUK Petition to the Prime Minister is backed by over 180 supporting organisations from across the UK. This is the 5th time the petition has been handed into the Government and we want action on it. Just some of the concerns raised:
- Ticket machines, smart phones and online methods of purchasing tickets is not accessible to those people who are not digitally connected, do not have bank cards and cannot use touch screens for many reasons. Ticket offices are essential to ensure people can get tickets, advice, assistance and help with many other issues around travelling by train safely and independently. Without them many people will not be able to travel.
- Train stations are too dangerous for blind and visually impaired people to wander around looking for staff.
- There are grave safety risks involved in expecting any blind or visually impaired person having to rely on people just turning up at a station saying they are there to help you with mobility and we are not accepting this as a solution put forward to replace staff at stations. It is not safe and it is open to all sorts of abuse putting blind, visually impaired, disabled and vulnerable passengers in danger.
- We do not want to see any trials of making stations unstaffed, no trials of mobile staff trying to service stations or any other unsafe methods the rail industry think of next. What we want is no ticket offices being shut down, more ticket offices kept open all day and for unstaffed stations to have staff brought back.
- It is essential the ticket offices remain open.
- Even though the consultation was extended it was still not accessible, and the time period still too short. Still important voices and concerns from disabled people will not have been captured by the consultation and the whole process of consultation has been discriminatory.
People who can be interviewed Representatives that can talk include the following – contact details can be provided.
- National Federation of the Blind of the UK Representatives from Manchester, Leicestershire, Warwickshire, London, Surrey
- Key spokesperson Sarah Leadbetter from Leicestershire at Number 10 on the second time we petitioned on this issue in January & on the fourth time on 19/07/23 at Number 10 before recess when her legal challenge against the proposals was made public
- Key spokesperson Kevin Greenan from Greater Manchester petitioning Number 10 on the third time we petitioned on this issue & on the fourth time on 19/07/23 at Number 10 on the day before recess
- Jane Sellers from Horley speaking about the cuts to ticket offices early in the year
- Sarah Gayton from North Warwickshire on the 4th petition to Number 10 on this issue
- National Pensioners Convention General Secretary of NPC is from Newcastle and is the UK representative
- Association of British Commuters Representative from the South and is UK wide representative
- WinVisible (women with disabilities) Representative from London and is the National representative
- Inclusion London Representative from London
- Details can be shared later
- Manchester Coalition of Disabled People Representative from Greater Manchester
- Surrey Coalition of Disabled People Representatives from Surrey
- Disabled People Against Cuts DPAC Representatives from Kent / South
Petition Organiser – Contact Sarah Gayton
Street Access Campaign Coordinator sarahgayton@yahoo.co.uk
Phone 07903 155858 Any day
Phone 01827 714673 Not on Tuesday National Federation of the Blind of the UK https://www.nfbuk.org
Reg. Charity No. 236629 (England & Wales) SC 040134 (Scotland)
Sir John Wilson House, 215 Kirkgate, WAKEFIELD, West Yorkshire, WF1 1JG Contact+ 44 (0)1924 291 313 admin@nfbuk.org
Supporting Organisations So Far:
1: East Dunbartonshire Visually Impaired Peoples Forum
2: Tamworth and Lichfield Brain Injury Support Group, Headway 3: Pocklington Lodge Tenants’ Association
4: London Sports Club for the Blind
5: Eastbourne Access Group
6: Independent Disability Council Leeds
7: Children Living with Autism Parent Advocacy Network
8: The Access Committee for Leeds
9: Action on Disability, London
10: My Vision, Oxfordshire
11: Blind Aid, London
12: Coventry Resource Centre for the Blind, Warwickshire
13: Barnsley Blind and Partially Sighted Association
14: Sightseekers, Chorley
15: Essex Sight
16: Sandwell Visually Impaired
17: East Sussex Vision Support
18: Berkshire DPAC
19: Hearing Loss Cornwall
20: Hi-Vis UK, Hartlepool
21: Inclusion London
22: Visually Impaired Camden, London
23: Bournemouth Blind Society
24: Age UK Somerset
25: Sight Support Derbyshire
26: Buckinghamshire Disability Service, BuDS
27: Disability Rights UK
28: Shettleston Mens Shed, Glasgow
29: Earth Balance Shed (Next to Blue Tower), Bedlington 30: East Durham Trust
31: The Blaydon Shed
32: Stalham Men’s Shed, Norwich
33: Devon in Sight
34: Leicester Disabled People’s Access Group
35: Deafblind Enablement
36: Breathing Space Durham
37: Fight for Sight
38: National Association of Disabled Staff Network (NADSN)
39: Sawley Parish Councillors
40: Newcastle Vision Support
41: Cam Sight, Cambridge
42: SWR Watch South Western Rail Watch
43: East Cheshire Eye Society
44: Action Disability Kensington and Chelsea (ADKC)
45: Wales Council of the Blind
46: Southampton Sight
47: Croydon Vision
48: Yorkshire Coast Sight Support
49: The Partially Sighted Society
50: Association of British Commuters
51: National Pensioners Convention
52: UNISON South West London Mental Health Branch
53: Outlookers – The Local Sight Loss Charity
54: Defiant Sports
55: Lincoln & Lindsey Blind Society
56: Accessible Calderdale Project
57: Hebden Bridge Disability Access Forum
58: Hackney Disability BackUp
59: Beyond Sight Loss
60: Halifax Society for the Blind
61: Thomas Pocklington Trust
62: Goalball UK
63: Merton Vision
64: Leeds Society for Deaf and Blind People
65: Merlin MS centre, St Austel
66: Insight Gloucestershire
67: Staffordshire Sight Loss
69: Dorset Blind
70: Chesham Pioneers Blind and Partially Sighted Bowls Club
71: My Sight Notts
72: Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association 73: Braille Chess Association
74: 4Sight Vision Support
75: Sutton Senior Forum
76: Visionary
77: Bristol Older People’s Forum
78: Wakefield District Sight Aid
79: Redditch Association for the blind charity
80: Hornsey Pensioners
81: Age UK Leicester Shire & Rutland
82: The Shepshed Dolphin Swimming Group
83: North Staffs Pensioners Convention
84: World of Inclusion Ltd
85: UK Disability History Month
86: Bromley Experts by Experience
87: Women in Rural Enterprise (WIRE)
88: Loughborough Feminist Society
89: Southend In Sight
90: Kingston Association for the Blind
91: One Place East
92: Wiltshire Centre for Independent Living
93: bbsuk Bardel-Bedi Syndrome UK
94: Gloucestershire Federation WI
95: My Life My Choice, Oxford
96: Leeds Centre for Integrated Living
97: Sheffield Royal Society for the Blind
98: Rotherham sight and sound
99: N-Vision, Blackpool, Flyde & Wyre Society for the Blind
100: Disability Sheffield
101: Arthritis Action
102: NARPO Cornwall
103: Herefordshire Federation WI
104: Wigan, Leigh & District Society for the Blind
105: Disability Action Yorkshire
106: Sutton Vision
107: Vista Leicestershire
108: Forest Sensory Service, Gloucestershire
109: Vision Support
110: Glasgow Disability Alliance
111: Kent Association for the Blind
112: Loughborough Students’ Union Labour Society
113: Wrexham DPAC
114: DPAC
115: DPAC Cambs and Essex
116: LOOK UK
117: Norfolk Vision
118: Nystagmus Network
119: Friends of Sensory Blind Garden, Essex
120: Coton Green Womens Club
121: Vision Support Barrow & District
122: Sight Action, Dingwell, Inverness
123: BME VOLUNTEERS CIC, London
124: Chronic Illness Inclusion
125: Milton Keynes Centre for Integrated Living: MK CIL
126: Stay Safe East
127: GMCDP The Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People 128: Blackburn and District Blind Society
129: BucksVision, Buckinghamshire
130: Sight for Surrey
131: Harrogate & District Community Action (HADCA)
132: Together Trust
133: Disability Advice Service Lambeth
134: Warrington Disability Partnership
135: Surrey Coalition of Disabled People
136: BRIGHT deafblind
137: Bradbury Fields – A division of Catholic Blind Institute, Liverpool
138: Sight Loss Shropshire
139: Galloway’s
140: Retina UK
141: iSightCornwall
142: Luton All Women’s Centre
143: WinVisible
144: Mothers’ Union Leicester Diocese
145: Disability North
146: Men and Women in Sheds Rutland
147: Dudley Trades Union Council
148: RSBC
149: Sight Advice South Lakes
150: Bring Back British Rail
151: Harrow Association of Disabled
152: Macular Society
153: Federation of Essex Wis
154: Get Glasgow Moving
155:Bournemouth & Wessex Talking Newspaper
156: Dacorum Talking Newspaper.
157: Anglia Region Pensioners Association (NPC)
158: Forest Talk, the Talking Newspaper of the Forest of Dean
159: Sense – For everyone living with complex disabilities. For everyone who is deafblind. Sense is here to help people communicate and experience the world.
160: Warwickshire Vision Support
161: Gosport Voluntary Action
162: Alstrom Syndrome UK
162:BRIDLINGTON TALKING NEWSPAPER
163: Oxtalk
164:St Albans & District Talking Newspaper
165: Surrey independent Living Charity
166: Salford Talking Newspaper
167: Borders Talking Newspapers
168: The Boston & South Holland Talking Newspaper
169: St Edmundsbury Newstalk
170: Sight Scotland and Sight Scotland Veterans
171: Wyre Forest Talking Newspaper
172: Friends of Narborough Station
173: Solihull Borough Talking Newspaper
174: Moor Vision – Supporting Children, Young People and Families with Vision Impairment in Devon and Cornwall
175: Age UK Lancashire
176: Worcester News & Equipment Services For The Blind also known as Worcester Talking Newspaper
177: Sight Concern Worcestershire
178: Tandridge Lions Talking Newspaper
179: Action for Carer’s Surrey
180: Three Rivers Talking Newspaper, Suffolk
181: Darlington & District Talking Newspaper
182: Transport for All, London”
— ends–
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