The following report was brought together following the announcement of a consultation being undertaken by Greater Anglia Train operators along with other train operators on changes to the way tickets are sold in the future.  This consultation includes the proposal to close the ticket offices at Shenfield and Ingatestone.

The consultation was announced on the 5^th July 2023 and closes on the 26^th July 2023.

Due to the timing of this announcement and the committee dates this item is before members as an urgent item and asks for consideration to make a response to the consultation on behalf of the Council.

Cllr Kendall asked for Mr Campbell to look into he timings of the station closures especially in Ingatestone with the station heavily used by the local High School. 

Following discussion Cllr Kendall MOVED and Cllr Lewis SECONDED the recommendations in the report. Members voted UNANIMOUSLY and it was resolved:

R1.      That the Committee note the information and agree to respond to the consultation raising the Council’s concern and objections to the proposals to shut the ticket office at Shenfield and Ingatestone stations as set out below:

"Brentwood Borough Council recognises, and generally shares the concerns raised by local rail users, community, disability and access groups surrounding safety, customer service, support for disabled users, anti-social behaviour and security regarding the proposed closure of the Shenfield and Ingatestone Railway Station Ticket Offices.

Alongside these shared concerns, we would like to highlight our objection to the very short consultation period which does not permit detailed engagement with our residents and businesses or give such representatives the chance to effectively respond in their own right. 

We would also highlight that the negative effect any measure that makes our travel hubs less desirable will be highly significant to the Borough of Brentwood's economic development, and therefore will directly impact on our wider plans for investment in our local economy, housing development and community building efforts"

REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATIONS

Brentwood Borough Council believe the proposals by Greater Anglia will have a detrimental impact on members of our community who travel by rail from Shenfield and Ingatestone Stations, particularly those people with protected characteristics who may need additional support.

(Cllr Kendall declared a no pecuniary interest as the Chair of the Brentwood Bus and Rail Users Association.)

At 9.00pm, a vote was taken on Standing Orders and it was UNANIMOUSLY AGREED to extend the meeting for a further 30 minutes.