Rail Fares Increases Condemned

4.01.26pm GMT Wed 14th Jan 2009

In a motion at yesterday's County Council meeting, Liberal Democrat Councillor Alan Armitage asked the Leader of the Council to write to First Great Western and to the Secretary of State about the average 6% increase in regulated rail fares from this January.

Alan said, "It is often difficult to know the Government's transport policy in relation to trains, except that we know they have a policy of increasing fares above inflation levels year on year. The effect in the case of Oxfordshire has been particularly severe, because we have a lot of people who commute to London or Reading. The rise in fares is difficult for people in today's economic situation, with jobs under threat or other financial problems they are facing. Yet their only choice is to pay them or to use their cars, leading to more congestion on already overburdened roads, something that this County should be concerned about."

The motion, amended slightly by the Conservatives, was passed unanimously. A similar motion from the City Council Lib Dem group was also passed unanimously in December.