Norwich Evening News asked me to comment on the proposed changes to Norwich rail station’s ticket office.

I told them:

“We’ve had almost 40 years of our public services being incrementally forced to behave like businesses, and to treat their users as customers.

I struggle to think of anything that’s improved as a consequence of that and we’re living through an age in which practically all services are somewhere between decline and collapse. 

The bottom line shouldn’t decide whether a public service is provided.

If it’s needed it should happen. And from what I can see so far, rail users are saying loud and clear that ticket offices must stay.”

Read more on the proposed changes to ticket offices here.