Moves in this direction, of course, aren’t new. Before 2010’s general election, Dartford’s former Labour MP Howard Stoate led a popular campaign to have Transport for London’s (TfL) Oyster card scheme extended to Dartford. Indeed, as Labour’s parliamentary candidate at the 2010 general election, I strongly supported that campaign. There are big advantages. Being able to swipe an Oyster card at Dartford station – something Dartfordians using nearby Crayford station can already do – will help tackle long ticket queues. Moreover, if Dartford’s involvement was negotiated cleverly, it could even cut fares – good news, potentially, for already hard-pressed commuters.

True, this latest proposal looks bigger in scope than Dr Stoate’s scheme and accountability is therefore a factor. TfL answers to London’s mayor and Darfordians have no vote in mayoral elections. But negotiating a structure that represents local residents over the fairly narrow matter of train services to and from London shouldn’t be impossible – after all, TfL wouldn’t become reposonsible for all public transport in Dartford, as in the case in a London borough. While Gareth Johnson’s chief concern – that any move by TfL into Dartford will somehow undermine the town’s Kentish character – just sounds odd. Does he really believe that Dartford’s deeply entrenched Kentish heritage hinges on nothing more substantial than the technicalities of train service management?

Ultimately, this issue must be decided on more rational grounds. If there’s a proposal that reduces queues, boosts efficiency and even cuts fares – whilst tackling accountability concerns – then it deserves rather more serious consideration than the local Tory MP seems prepared to give it.

John Adams – Labour Councillor for Stone

These increases represent another broken promise from the Tory led Coalition Government. Before the election, they promised us fairer fares when it came to power. That claim will ring hollow to commuters who will now see the cost of an annual season ticket from Dartford to London rise to an eye watering £2,124.

Britain already has the highest train fares in Europe. The demand that passengers should pay more and more to travel confirms that these latest rises are a sign that the government is more interested in protecting train operating companies’ vested interests rather than the interests of ordinary passengers.

The current situation is unfair on passengers and must change. The Labour Party today called on the Government to ban train operating companies from raising rail fares above strict limits. This is part of a package being designed to prevent commuters and other hard-pressed passengers being exploited so that fairness and simplicity are restored to rail fares. Labour has also committed to introducing below five initiatives to get a fairer deal for commuters:

1. A single definition of ‘peak’ and ‘off-peak’: to prevent unwitting passengers being given additional charges for having the ‘wrong’ ticket – or train operators stretching ‘peak time’ simply to increase profits.
2. A right to the cheapest ticket: by which the lowest price is clearly advertised and passengers are entitled to a refund if they do not get it.
3. A right to a single price for the same ticket: apply the same fare structure to tickets purchased at train stations and other outlets as those bought online, ending the ‘digital divide’ which raises costs for older passengers in particular.
4. A more flexible way of changing your travel plans: Allow passengers to pay the difference between what they have paid already for an Advance ticket and the appropriate new ticket if they miss their train or need to change their plans, rather than facing a massive additional charge on the train.
5. A right to a discount for a rail replacement bus service: Introduce a replacement bus service discount so your train fare is reduced if your journey does not take place by train and is consequently longer. Planned work to the rail network is often known about at the time of ticket purchases, yet there is no requirement to offer a reduced price despite the often significant change to journey time and increased inconvenience to passengers.

Dartford Labour Party will be campaigning throughout 2012 for these and other measures that will get a fairer deal for commuters in Dartford. Labour would set tough new tests for train companies wishing to retain or apply for franchise – in the same way that we have committed to tackle predatory practices by banks and energy companies. We’ll also be working with commuters and groups such as the Campaign for Better Transport, to ensure that our local train operator SouthEastern maintains services and operates a rail service that puts the interests of passengers, rather than shareholders, first.

Councillor Jonathon Hawkes
Labour Member for Stone Ward, Dartford Borough Council

Councillor Geoff Prout, shadow leader of Dartford Borough Council said: “It’s terrible news that so many young people are now unemployed and unable to find work. David Cameron’s Government have been given a million reasons to change course on the economy – and they need to do so before it’s too late.”

Also, read the full text of our press release on this issue under the press release section of this website.

Peter Skinner visited the memorial at the Menin Gate in the Belgian town of Ypres to pay his respects to the British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.

Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield and built by the British Government, the Menin Gate Memorial was unveiled back in 1927.

Ypres occupied a key strategic position in World War one and was the focus of five major battles over the course of the war including the Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Passchendaele. The town held out but 300,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers were killed. The memorial gate bears the names of 54,389 men who fell in the Ypres Salient and who have no known grave.

Speaking after the visit, Mr Skinner said, “It was very moving to be here today. So many men and women gave their lives to protect our freedoms. We must never forget their sacrifice.”

From the Eastbourne Herald, Wednesday 16 November 2011