THE RMT is claiming that at the close of Parliamentary business earlier this week, the Government 'slipped out' a possible change to regulations under its 'Red Tape Challenge' that would remove a layer of protection from rail ticket offices.

The union said the change could affect the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement. Although this is not a statutory instrument, it does contain various industry agreements covering tickets and fares, including arrangements that ensure passengers must be consulted if a company wants to close or make major changes to ticket offices. If there are enough objections then the request is referred to the secretary of state for transport. 

The McNulty 'value for money' report has recommended the abolition of the TSA clauses which affect ticket office opening hours, saying that "The TSA affects the TOCs’ ability to react to changing circumstances in demand or emerging trends in retail channels.”

RMT general secretary Bob Crow said: “It is a disgrace that the Government are setting up a process for destroying the one mechanism that the public and staff have got for forcing the minister to intervene when there is a threat to ticket offices. McNulty, and the Government, want this procedure removed so that they can smash up ticket offices and sack staff at will and that is why they have smuggled through the start of that process at the death of the Parliamentary session.

“This is nothing to do with red tape, it’s about removing public accountability."