It is coming close to crunch time for the new intake of Medway Conservative MPs. Crunch time because as parliamentary candidates all three of our MPs courted the anti-fares brigade who championed the cause of commuters against the backdrop of ever increasing train fares.
Hundreds of commuters voted Conservative in May 2010 to keep train fares low. Organisations across Kent were backed by Conservatives to channel commuter anger and potentially harvest key anti-fare votes for the election this year.
Mark Reckless campaigned in March 2009, with the 'independent' Medway Fares Fair champion to reduce standard fares. The independent champion for Medway commuters also now happens to be a Council candidate for a Conservative ward in 2011.
The campaign to keep fares low was also backed by Tracey Crouch MP who championed the cause of a small increase in train fares on the 6th January 2009. She backed the campaign wholeheartedly. The campaign even congratulated the two PPCs for having 'an excellent track record in campaigning on local issues for Medway residents'
Rehman Chisthi MP also campaigned outside Gillingham station in 2009 as a PPC against the increase in train fares. He pledged to '2 cut train fares' to his constituents before being elected.
This blog supported the investment in our railways and supported a manageable increase of rail fares. It supported manageable increases to increase investment in modernised train stock, safer and modern stations and for better pay for low paid staff. It was challenged by Conservative campaigners for doing so.
It is now for Conservative MPs to deliver to commuters like they promised whilst in opposition and keep train fares low.
This blog will hold the same people who channelled the anger at fare increases to account.
We will soon find out soon whether our Medway Conservative MPs have the ability to keep increases at manageable levels. We will soon find out whether the independent campaign is truly independent.
This blog suspects that the Tories will deliberately target commuters to fund over-aggressive cuts
According to press reports, the Department of Transport is about to sanction eye-watering increases in train fares. A worry to hundreds of hard pressed middle class commuters who are currently struggling. Thousands of rail passengers across Medway face higher than expected annual fare rises of up to 10 per cent as the Government considers scrapping the formula for raising ticket prices.
If our Conservative MPs can not secure a below inflationary increase in train fares as they promised to their voters then Medway Commuters will feel betrayed.
It is a concern that the public opposition has ceased in favour of private conversations with transport ministers. It is a concern that commuter concerns have been ignored as they continue to commute every day.
The increase in fare's will prove once and for all whether Tories were paying lip service to commuter concerns or whether they were genuinely interested in campaigning for the commuter. We will find out soon enough.
Update - 06/10/10
As if by chance the Campaign for Better Transport released a poll yesterday which was picked up by the Metro this morning.
According to the CBT there are hints that the Tories are to target middle class commuters who are already 'paying way over the odds'.
The report suggested that fares are going to be increased markedly because of the decisions made in the spending review to sanction over-aggressive cuts. It is suggested that the Government will raise the current cap on annual fare rises from 1% to 3% above inflation which is against the stated aims of the Medway Conservative PPCs prior to the General Election. The CBT calculated that if fares kept rising at this level every year to 2015, passengers could be paying 37% more for most tickets by the next general election.
That translates to £1,700 extra for an annual season ticket from Hastings to London! The daily trip from Brighton to London would rise by £1,164 to £4,268, while Gillingham commuters would be forced to find £5,236, an increase of £1,428 on the current fare.
The YouGov Polling for the CBT entitled 'Commuters - would you take this lying down?' shows that 74% of regular rail users in London and the South-East could switch their support away from political parties that introduced an increase in the cap on rail fares. And their votes could make all the difference in key battleground seats in London and the Home Counties.
As if by chance Tracey Crouch MP has written on her blog yesterday that her 'recognition of the hard work the low paid staff do to make sure that the Chatham train user is safe, has been interpreted as an endorsement of Southeastern.' That is not the case. We all want safer train stations, cleaner trains and modern rolling stock but we also want our MPs to fulfil campaign pledges on fare increases.
It does appear though that Tory MPs are trying to have their cake and eat it now they are in government. For anti-fare campaigners, closely aligned to Conservatives who supported them, to sit silent whilst these fares could increase by eye-watering levels shows the state of mind of the current Conservative Party and its activist base.
Why should the public have any confidence that Medway Tory MPs should be held to their word? They have been shameless about child benefit cuts, VAT rises and NHS re-organisations. It seems the manifesto is not worth anything. Promises have been casually ignored.
Commuters will not stand idly by as we suffer exorbitent increases in fares after copious promises by Tories prior to the General Election.
We are yet to see the outcome from the Department of Transport and this blogger is jumping the gun because it believes that Medway Tory MPs should be under no illusion about this when they meet Theresa Villiers. We expect them to deliver on campaign promises.
According to the CBT there are hints that the Tories are to target middle class commuters who are already 'paying way over the odds'.
The report suggested that fares are going to be increased markedly because of the decisions made in the spending review to sanction over-aggressive cuts. It is suggested that the Government will raise the current cap on annual fare rises from 1% to 3% above inflation which is against the stated aims of the Medway Conservative PPCs prior to the General Election. The CBT calculated that if fares kept rising at this level every year to 2015, passengers could be paying 37% more for most tickets by the next general election.
That translates to £1,700 extra for an annual season ticket from Hastings to London! The daily trip from Brighton to London would rise by £1,164 to £4,268, while Gillingham commuters would be forced to find £5,236, an increase of £1,428 on the current fare.
The YouGov Polling for the CBT entitled 'Commuters - would you take this lying down?' shows that 74% of regular rail users in London and the South-East could switch their support away from political parties that introduced an increase in the cap on rail fares. And their votes could make all the difference in key battleground seats in London and the Home Counties.
As if by chance Tracey Crouch MP has written on her blog yesterday that her 'recognition of the hard work the low paid staff do to make sure that the Chatham train user is safe, has been interpreted as an endorsement of Southeastern.' That is not the case. We all want safer train stations, cleaner trains and modern rolling stock but we also want our MPs to fulfil campaign pledges on fare increases.
It does appear though that Tory MPs are trying to have their cake and eat it now they are in government. For anti-fare campaigners, closely aligned to Conservatives who supported them, to sit silent whilst these fares could increase by eye-watering levels shows the state of mind of the current Conservative Party and its activist base.
Why should the public have any confidence that Medway Tory MPs should be held to their word? They have been shameless about child benefit cuts, VAT rises and NHS re-organisations. It seems the manifesto is not worth anything. Promises have been casually ignored.
Commuters will not stand idly by as we suffer exorbitent increases in fares after copious promises by Tories prior to the General Election.
We are yet to see the outcome from the Department of Transport and this blogger is jumping the gun because it believes that Medway Tory MPs should be under no illusion about this when they meet Theresa Villiers. We expect them to deliver on campaign promises.
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