Being a Member of Parliament often involves lots of unseen, behind-the-scenes work campaigning on the priorities of your constituents. It is rare that a single intervention or conversation is able to shift policy agendas or influence decisions. Instead, politics is about sustained work – often with little to no reward – to convince decision-makers of your point.
This month I am delighted to be able to report back on the success of some of that work – which I know residents in Offley and the villages will be really pleased by.
Hundreds of local residents contacted me about the Labour Mayor of London’s decision to scrap the Day Travelcard earlier this year. You told me how vital the Travelcard is for cheap and convenient travel into London – so important whether you are regularly travelling into the capital or visit occasionally.
So many people backed my campaign to demonstrate the strength of feeling in our communities about the Travelcard and armed with that support I have been busy making representations on behalf of local people. This month I am very pleased to be able to report back that those representations have been successful and the Government have stepped in to save the Day Travelcard.
Likewise, hundreds of local residents have told me how vital ticket offices in Hitchin and elsewhere are to the travel experience. I’ve heard so many stories of the important ways that they have helped vulnerable passengers and those booking complex journeys – and I made sure Government Ministers heard those stories too and understood the support for ticket offices in our constituency. This month I was delighted to hear that the Government have stepped in to tell rail operators that ticket offices should stay open.
And ahead of Remembrance Sunday I was shocked to hear that local poppy sellers were being told that they couldn’t collect donations with their card machines at Thameslink train stations in our area. I managed to get Thameslink to agree to change their policy and allow the Royal British Legion to use card machines to raise money at their stations – hopefully allowing them to raise lots more money for our veterans!
As we look forward to 2024, I’ll keep fighting for your priorities – and I hope I’ll be able to update you on lots more good news for our villages.
