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This summer has seen extreme temperatures across the globe, with the UK having the warmest June ever recorded (smashing the previous record by 0.9ºC) and extreme heat across the US, China and Europe, with the ongoing heatwave providing a nightmare vision of the future and wildfires resulting in the evacuation of thousands of UK holidaymaker in Greece. Meanwhile, we see political pushback on even moderate pollution reduction proposals such as the upcoming extension to London’s Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) and the climate crisis descending into a culture war via Grant Shapps’s foolish interventions – he would be better advised to address his government’s failings set out in the June 2023 IPCC Climate Change report. The evidence of climate change is all around us and we can no longer afford to kick the can down the road. In July 2019 I wrote the bulk of the blog below, which sets out the impact of global temperature rises of 1ºC up to 6ºC, we are currently at 1.15ºC I have now updated the blog with additional information added in bold and including a section on the UK government’s progress on combatting climate change. Time is running out. As a child completely obsessed with all things weather related, I first came across the concept of ‘global warming’ while reading a book that contained a chapter entitled ‘Fire or Ice?’ At the time there was actually some uncertainty about which type of climate emergency we were heading for, as there was a view among some scientists that the planet may be heading towards a ‘mini ice age’, as temperatures had been falling from a peak reached in the 1940s. Since first reading that chapter all those years ago global temperatures have shown a steady rise – and this rise has also been matche by an alarming rise in CO2 levels. CO2 levels were approximately 338 particles per million (ppm) in 1980. By 2019 this had risen to 415 ppm with the rate of increase rising (in June 2023 these atmospheric CO2 levels had risen to 423ppm) These levels of CO2 are the highest levels seen for over 14 million years and the rise has taken place in less than two hundred years, an infinitesimally small time in geological terms. There are a number of challenges in dealing with the issue of rising CO2 levels: Unlike pollution from cars or heavy industry, CO2 is not visible and doesn’t have any immediate effects on our health or our daily lives. Humans are effective at dealing with immediate and tangible threats to our way of life or existence. However, rising CO2 levels in our atmosphere are not perceived as a ‘clear and present danger’. Fossil fuel energy companies spend vast sums of money to influence politicians at the highest levels of government to play down the effects of CO2 emissions and to continue to receive tax breaks for fossil fuel extraction. The International Monetary Fund estimated that the global production and burning of coal, oil and gas was subsidised by $5.9 trillion in 2020 and an analysis of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development figures claims to show that Britain currently supports the fossil fuel industry through tax breaks and subsidies for exploration and research and development to the tune of £10 billion a year. Effective action against climate change will require significant changes to our way of life which may be unpopular among voters. Any political party pushing an effective CO2 emission reduction agenda risks losing political support, while parties that take a less hard-line approach are likely to prove more popular, but won’t deal effectively with the problem. By the time we see the most significant changes resulting from climate change, it will be too late to stop the catastrophic changes in upcoming years – we cannot adopt a wait-and-see approach. Some argue that the global economic system is not sustainable in its present form if we want to effectively combat climate change. The Paris Agreement of 2015 aimed to pursue efforts to limit temperature increases to +2.0ºC above pre-industrial levels (with an aspiration to achieve a 1.5ºC limit) although the signatories could not reach an agreement on when emissions have to peak. Global temperature has already increased by around 1ºC, (as of 2022 it has risen by 1.15ºC) so these limits already seem extremely ambitious and likely to be exceeded. The question seems to now be how close we can keep temperature increase as close to 2ºC as possible. However, before looking at what is possible let’s take a look at how a warming world potentially affects life on Earth at between 1º and 6ºC of warming. + 1º Centigrade A warming of +1ºC does not mean that the globe warms up equally across its surface. As we already approach this level of warming we are finding significant variations in the level of rise, which is particularly pronounced in arctic areas such as Greenland, Alaska and Antarctica. This has resulted in the significant reduction of sea ice particularly in the summer months, as well as causing entire lakes to drain away into the ground as the permafrost underneath them thaws. The reduction in sea ice creates the first tipping point: warmer temperatures melt the snow covered ice (which reflects more than 80% of the sun’s heat that falls upon it) and is then replaced by the darker open ocean (which absorbs up to 95% of the incoming solar radiation) warming the sea and making it more difficult for ice to re-form during the next winter. At current rates of ice melt, we are heading for a summer ice-free Arctic between 2030 and 2050. In 2023 sea ice in Antarctica has reached its lowest extent since records began. This warming of the Arctic is likely to lead to significant changes in the weather patterns of the mid-latitude areas such as the USA, Europe and Japan. The circulation of the atmosphere is governed by the contrast in temperature between the equatorial and polar regions. Excessive warming in the polar areas will reduce this contrast which will in turn have an effect on the jet streams which circulate the globe and influence our weather systems such as the ‘low’ and ‘high’ pressure systems that we see on the TV weather. Small temperature rises also affect coral reefs already affected by overfishing, sewage and agricultural run-off. The number of ‘bleaching’ events where the algae is expelled from the coral polyps is on the increase and the death of the coral occurs unless the waters cool again quickly. A warmer world at this level will present challenges, but will not exceed our ability to adapt. + 2º Centigrade So how do increased CO2 and increased temperatures affect us in a +2ºC world? Around half of the carbon dioxide released every time we jump on a plane ends up being absorbed by the oceans. Ocean chemistry is complex and being slightly alkali allows many animals and plants to build calcium carbonate shells. However, CO2 dissolves in water to form carbonic acid. This increased acidity means that by around 2050 large areas of the ocean will become effectively toxic to organisms with calcium carbonate shells. Go above the levels of CO2 which would produce a +2ºC rise and most of the world’s oceans will eventually become too acidic to support calcareous marine life. This will affect plankton, perhaps the most important plant resource on Earth, as an essential part of the food chain of numerous species from mackerel to humpbacked whales. Their calcium carbonate structure makes them especially vulnerable to ocean acidification, essentially dissolving them. Phytoplankton are crucial to the carbon cycle, removing billions of tons of carbon from circulation as their limestone shells rain down on the ocean floor. As the oceans turn more acidic there will be fewer plankton to remove the carbon in the oceans, increasing the problem even further. Warmer surface waters also stop the upwell of cooler nutrient-rich waters that the phytoplankton need to grow. These two factors mean we are potentially altering the entire chemistry of the oceans, without any idea of the consequences. A 2ºC rise will mean summers across Europe like those in 1976, 2022 and this summer, will become the norm rather than the exception, devastating crops, causing wildfires and increasing mortality among vulnerable people unable to cope with the excessive heat. This heat also stresses plants, causing them to emit carbon dioxide rather than absorb it, adding to the CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. The Greenland ice cap contains enough water in its three-kilometer thick bulk to raise global sea levels by around seven metres. Climatologists have put a figure on Greenland’s critical melt threshold at regional warming of 2.7ºC. Due to polar amplification warming occurs at a far faster rate in polar latitudes and a global warming figure of 1.2ºC would result in the above regional threshold being crossed. At this point, we could potentially get another positive feedback loop due to ‘albedo-flip’ caused by wetter, darker ice absorbing more energy increasing melting rates. This could result in far greater sea level rises than 26 to 82 cm by 2100 as predicted in 2013 by the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. This in itself is a higher rise than the same Panel’s projection, made just six years earlier in 2007 of an 18 to 59 cm rise. + 3º Centigrade If governments meet their current pledges it is forecast that there will still be an average global warming of 2.7ºC by 2100. *in November 2022 this forecast was reduced to 2.0ºC based on government pledges and targets. To go back to similar temperature levels we have to go back around three million years to a period of time called the Pliocene. Analysis of sediments from this time, both in Antarctica and the Northern tip of Greenland, show shrub growth in the former and pines and conifers in the latter, hundreds of miles North of the current tree line. Analysis of fossilised leaves can identify the number of stomata which in turn indicate the levels of CO2 at the times the leaves were living. Fossilised leaves from the Pliocene period indicate concentrations of CO2 between 360 and 400 parts per million, a similar level to what we have reached today. Estimates of global temperatures at that time place them at +3º C above today’s levels. A reminder that the current levels of CO2 are 415ppm and the rate is rising. Due to thermal inertia even if we stabilised CO2 concentrations immediately, the planet would continue to warm for centuries. At the +3ºC level of temperature increase some very startling factors come into play such as the ‘carbon cycle feedback’. Warmer seas absorb less CO2 leaving more of it to accumulate in the atmosphere; warmer soils begin to emit stored carbon due to increased bacterial activity; the carbon cycle is reversed as vegetation starts releasing CO2 rather than absorbing it; the drying of peat in tropical rainforest areas such as Malaysia and the Amazon and resulting fires leads to extra CO2 entering the atmosphere. The Amazonia area contains half the world’s biodiversity and the Amazon river contains 20% of all the water discharged into the world’s oceans. Some models predict that the Amazon rainforest is doomed unless global warming levels are held at +2º C or below. A +3ºC temperature rise will result in huge changes to the climate across the globe, with some areas being struck by super droughts and huge rivers such as the Indus being affected by the reduction in glacial run-off and snow melt. Climate change will affect crop yields, increasing in some areas, but with an overall reduction leading to food shortages. Population movements are likely to dwarf the current migration levels caused by wars or crop failures. These climate refugees are likely to spill into already densely populated areas and the current political pressures caused by migration will pale into insignificance in comparison. + 4 º Centigrade Warming of +4ºC will have devastating effects across the globe and will put many of the World’s major cities such as Mumbai, New York and London in grave danger unless huge amounts of money are poured into developing new defences. Sea level rise will create refugees escaping from coastal areas. Our destruction of the rainforests will mean Earth’s natural defence mechanisms will have been severely weakened. Global weather is likely to go increasingly haywire with temperature, drought and flooding extremes becoming commonplace. Temperatures in Europe will resemble those currently experienced in the Middle East. Drops in food production along with migration will put pressure on the political system struggling to cope with financial shocks caused by extreme weather events. By this point, one of the most dangerous feedback loops comes into play. Around 1,400 billion tons of carbon are estimated to be locked into the arctic permafrost. As this permafrost thaws, vast quantities of carbon and methane (an even more dangerous greenhouse gas) will be released. The rate of release and the effects of this release are not yet fully understood but there will be increased plant growth in these areas that may offset some of the resultant rise in CO2 levels. However, by the time we have reached a 4ºC rise, it is likely that the extra release of CO2 into the atmosphere may make a 5ºC rise more likely and this is where we reach the tipping point – and perhaps the most frightening feedback loop of all which is described in the next section. + 5º Centigrade There is much disagreement among scientists about the potential effect of methane hydrates (an ice like combination of methane and water that forms under the intense pressure and cold of the deep sea) on global warming. However, geologists looking back 55 million years to the Paleocene period have found evidence of major deep-sea extinction events through sediment analysis from core samples from this era. These samples contained ‘dead zones’ and scientists have also found evidence of huge submarine landslides occurring at this time. Warming of the oceans may cause the melting of these hydrates making them unstable and cause thousands of tons of methane to enter the atmosphere. Methane is 23 times more powerful than CO2 in terms of its global warming properties and could add to an unstoppable feedback of runaway global warming. This instability may lead to undersea landslides, which will have disastrous consequences for millions living in coastal areas as we have seen with recent tsunamis. Records indicate that warming in the Paleocene period took place over approximately 10,000 years, giving plants and animals time to adapt to the change. As things stand this level of temperature change may take place in a hundred years, far too rapid for ecosystems to adapt both on land and at sea. This is likely to result in mass extinctions and as the habitable areas retreat to the poles, large scale developed human society would no longer be sustainable. Conflicts between migrants and those already present in these cooler areas are likely as the economic and social structures break down. + 6º Centigrade A six-degree rise in temperatures would increase the severity of all the previously mentioned outcomes and turn the oceans anoxic as they are stripped of oxygen. Failure of the ecosystem to adapt to the temperatures would create food shortages and as society collapses population reduction is almost inevitable. All the previously mentioned tipping points, the collapse of the Amazonian ecosystem and resulting soil carbon release, could add to the thawing of the Siberian permafrost adding more carbon to the atmosphere and adding more warming, which in turn increases the possibility of the release of methane hydrates resulting in even more global warming. The rate of increase in CO2 levels caused by human activity has never before happened on Earth. We are in grave danger of knocking over the first in a long row of dominoes, with no possibility of recovery. How have we ended up on the brink of disaster? This is difficult to set out briefly in a blog that aims just to give a flavour of the issue, but the answers can be summarised as follows: Human nature reacts poorly to risks that don’t seem to pose an immediate threat, such as a war or a natural disaster. The globalisation of the economy and the resulting mass exports of produce across vast distances has fed the fossil fuel and CO2 emission boom. Deregulation of the corporate sector and deregulated capitalism. The ‘free market’ is seen by some as being incompatible with climate change mitigation. The current economic model demands expansion and increased consumption and the steps we must take are in direct conflict with the ‘grow or die’ ethos. The influence, both financial and political, that the most polluting companies have over governments across the globe. The steps required to halt the slide to disaster can be seen as restrictive on personal freedom or a barrier to the pursuit of profit. Therefore any political organisation that recognises the scale of the issue may temper its policies in this area to enable them to get elected to at least pursue some of the policies required. Unfortunately, all the evidence points to the reality that the time for a little tinkering around the edges has passed. Emerging economies whose CO2 output is increasing are reluctant to stifle their growth to cut emissions when established economies had no such disadvantage during their development. How do we fix it? Tree planting needs to increase substantially to act as a ‘carbon sink’ for CO2 emissions. Currently, the UK target for tree planting (20,000 hectares per year) is being missed by a wide margin every year. * the 2019 Conservative Manifesto promised to plant 30,000 hectares of trees per year by 2025. Currently, they are significantly short of their target at only 12,700 hectares in 2022/23. By placing restrictions on air travel. Another of the anomalies in the accounting of CO2 emissions by each country as part of the climate change agreements is that only domestic air travel is recorded. International air travel emissions have no ‘home’ and therefore, although they are recorded, are not included in any emission targets. Some have argued for a ‘frequent flyer’ tax where one trip per year could be a ‘freebie’ in terms of tax rates, but any additional travel will be severely taxed. UK Carbon Emission Scenarios from UK Government Net Zero Strategy October 2021 – page 318 Some experts believe the ‘free market’ will be unable to address the challenge of climate change and that the dominance of corporations must be reduced and governments take the lead in a holistic approach to tackling climate change. The era of disposable products must end and goods made, not only to be more energy efficient but also made to last. By eliminating the reliance on the car, including electric cars, as a primary means of travel (with the phasing out of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030) by providing cheap public transit for all and safe alternatives for cycling and walking. Replace into law the ‘zero carbon’ homes policy abandoned by the Conservative government in 2016. By promoting research and development of Carbon Capture & Storage as it is currently absent in the UK and is a necessity to meet ‘net zero emissions’ targets by 2050. *Note that in the above table taken from the UK Government’s 2021 Net Zero Strategy, for an unproven technology greenhouse gas removal is doing a lot of heavy lifting to get us to net zero. ** The UK government has committed up to £20 billion to fund the development of Carbon Capture and Storage, but to date, no CO2 has been captured and stored in the UK. By providing incentives for domestic green energy production such as solar power. These not only reduce the reliance on fossil fuels, but can also change cultural attitudes to power consumption as people are likely to become engaged in energy use when they are producing it on their own rooftops. All new buildings should have solar panels installed on available roofing and be retrofitted where possible. By adoption of ‘the polluter pays’ principle on the oil and gas companies which have for many years been the most profitable in the global economy. This could be in the form of a ‘carbon tax’ along with higher royalty rates on fossil fuel extraction. By promoting renewable energy production co-operatives run by the communities that use them. This would encourage ‘buy-in’ from local communities who directly benefit from them by selling their clean energy back to the grid. At this point, I will hold my hand up and admit I have been skeptical about onshore wind generation in the past, due to unfounded concerns about noise (we live approx 1 mile away from a 10 turbine windfarm) and localised benefits from local infrastructure would provide popular incentives to alter attitudes. An end to ‘fracking’ as a means of extracting natural gas, which has been found to produce methane emissions that are 30% higher than those linked to natural gas. Further, methane is 34 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. We must stop extracting fossil fuels and end the significant subsidies to those who extract those fossil fuels. Is the UK Government on track? In June 2023 The UK Climate Change Committee reported to Parliament on the progress to date in reducing CO2 emissions as well as setting out policy risks and gaps and priority recommendations. There is a link to the full report in the ‘sources and further reading’ section below, here are some of the highlights: the willingness of UK Ministers to embrace Net Zero, and accept a legal obligation to meet targets on that path, represented genuine leadership. However, the true test of leadership is delivery. And here, I am more worried. The commitment of the Government to act has waned since our COP26 Presidency. There is hesitation to commit fully to the key pledges. p8 We have backtracked on fossil fuel commitments, with the consenting of a new coal mine and support for new UK oil and gas production – despite the strong wording of the Glasgow Climate Pact. p13 We have been slow to react to the US Inflation Reduction Act and the EU’s proposed Green Deal Industrial Plan, which are now a strong pull for green investment away from the UK. p13 The decision on the Cumbrian coal mine sent a very concerning signal on the Government’s priorities. The UK will continue to need some oil and gas until it reaches Net Zero, but this does not in itself justify the development of new North Sea fields. p15 No airport expansions should proceed until a UK-wide capacity management framework is in place to assess annually and, if required, control sector CO2 emissions and non-CO2 effects. p15 Tree-planting rates continue to be too low and are not increasing at the rate required. Rates will need to double by 2025 for the Government to reach its target of 30,000 hectares per year of woodland creation. p20 The UK has particularly missed opportunities to respond to the energy crisis with policies that both reduce emissions and cut household/business costs – policies that other countries implemented to increase their energy security. p57 To avoid low-income groups being locked out of the cost savings that low-carbon technologies will increasingly provide, the Government should consider targeted support for the take-up of key technologies such as EVs. p58 The Government has set out no plans to support the public to shift to a lower-carbon diet. p101 From 2010-2021, bus and rail prices increased by 80% and 43% respectively, significantly faster than inflation. By contrast, the cost of car travel rose by just 27%. Spikes in fuel prices and Government interventions to limit further growth in fares have reduced this gap during 2022 and early-2023. P114 Only 2.2 km of railway track was electrified in 2021/22.42 This is symptomatic of the current stop-start nature of network electrification, which is failing to deliver the infrastructure upgrades required. p127 In March 2023, the active travel budget received a substantial cut, with the £700 million allocated at Spending Review 2021, minus the £230 million already allocated, being reduced to just £100 million over the remainder of the period. The Government must restore the previously agreed funding settlement. p129 Installations of heat pumps across the UK must rise nine-fold in six years, from 69,000 per year in 2022 to 600,000 in 2028. The UK is not currently on track to hit this target. We outlined in a letter to the then Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) on 24 February 2022 that increases in domestic oil and gas extraction would have, at most, a marginal effect on prices. The best way to reduce the UK’s exposure to volatile markets is instead to cut fossil fuel consumption through measures such as rapidly shifting to renewables, improving energy efficiency and electrifying end uses (such as heating, industry and transport). p222 The long-term price trend for rail travel shows a 32% increase on 2009 levels compared to a 10% decrease for short haul business flights. p271 Can we avoid disaster? The fight against climate change presents many challenges, at an individual, political and corporate level. While the UK government should be commended for setting an ambitious net zero carbon target, they mean nothing unless backed up by positive actions to achieve it. As Lord Deben, the Chair of the Committee on Climate Change stated in the Foreword of his July 2019 report to Parliament “The need for action has rarely been clearer… now do it.” Further, while Lord Deben said in his Foreword to the June 2023 Climate Change Committee report to the UK Parliament that “the UK continues to avoid the polarised climate politics that plague other countries”, I believe we are seeing the first signs of this in our media and our politics. It seems that just when the early impacts of climate change are being felt in the UK, there is a concerted movement to deny the extent of the problem, or use it to stoke up division rather than concentrate efforts to put in place a fix. After mulling over all the evidence gathered while researching for this blog it is very easy to reach the conclusion that we are beyond hope and there isn’t the political will to make the necessary changes. Further, on an individual level, it can seem that personal efforts to reduce CO2 emissions are inconsequential in the great scheme of things and we are doomed. However, it is individual changes repeated across society and the political pressure applied by individuals teaming up to fight for change that will go a long way to achieving success or condemn us to failure and a terrifying future. The colossal scale of the challenge does not absolve us from personal responsibility. We may not succeed, but surely we must try. Julian Vaughan July 2019 – updated with recent data and additional links in July 2023 Sources and further reading I have drawn heavily on the detail contained in the following books: Naomi Klein’s ‘This Changes Everything’ and ‘Six Degrees’ by Mark Lynas. I recommend that you read both of these books in full. Not used for this blog, but interesting reads on this subject are: ‘The Water Will Come’ by Jeff Goodell and ‘How Bad Are Bananas’ by Mike Berners-Lee which gives estimates on the carbon footprint of just about everything! The website for the UK-based Committee on Climate Change is a very useful source of information: https://www.theccc.org.uk/ Carbon Brief is another UK-based website providing extensive information on the latest in the science and policy decisions concerning climate change: Record-breaking 2023 heat events are ‘not rare anymore’ due to climate change IPCC 2023 Climate Change Report https://www.wri.org/insights/2023-ipcc-ar6-synthesis-report-climate-change-findings UK Climate Change Committee – Progress in Reducing Emissions 2023 Report to Parliament 2023 Progress Report to Parliament Modern Diplomacy – Free Market Capitalism and Climate Crisis Free-Market Capitalism and Climate Crisis House of Lords Library – Oil and gas Industry: outside interests https://lordslibrary.parliament.uk/oil-and-gas-industry-outside-interests/ UK Government Net Zero Strategy October 2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/net-zero-strategy Climate Action Tracker Thermometer https://climateactiontracker.org/global/cat-thermometer/ Sea Level Rises Data https://climate.nasa.gov/vital-signs/sea-level/ Atmospheric Carbon Dioxide Levels Data https://www.co2.earth/monthly-co2 #tippingpoints #UKpolitics #ClimateEmergency #CO2emissions #sealevelrises #Politics #climate

On the 5th of July, the Rail Delivery Group announced a 21-day consultation exercise regarding their proposals to close just short of 1,000 ticket offices across the country. In their rush to push these proposals through, it seems they did not have time to discuss their proposals with either the Office of Road and Rail (ORR) or the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC). Many thanks to the excellent Association of British Commuters for their work in this area, you can read their open letter to the ORR and the EHRC, signed by a number of rail and disability experts and activists here: https://abcommuters.com/2023/07/04/experts-call-for-orr-and-ehrc-to-intervene-in-ticket-office-closures/ The Rail Delivery Group has spun this as the launch of ‘Customer Focused Stations’, but what is the reality behind their sunny vision of the future? This short blog will focus on staffing levels, rather than the multiple issues around ticketing. The proposed staffing levels for all the stations managed by Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) can be found by clicking this link: https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/about-us/our-commitments/public-consultation and then clicking ‘Station Information pdf or Excel’. The proposed staffing levels for Northern can be found by clicking the link below. I will point out that Northern has at least been more transparent and states (on page six of the document) that at the 131 stations where the ticket offices will close “We will also reduce the number of hours that Northern colleagues are present at these stations”. https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/sites/default/files/2023-07/Public%20Consultation%20Document.pdf As yet, I haven’t had a chance to look at every single station, but a clear pattern has emerged from the stations that I have looked at. It seems clear to me that these proposals will result in substantial destaffing of the rail network, under the cover of what the Rail Delivery Group breezily describes as ‘Customer Focused Stations.’ The documents from GTR and Northern set out current ticket office hours vs the proposed ‘ticketing assistance hours’. Central to understanding the Rail Delivery Group’s proposals is the definition of what is meant by ticketing office hours. There are two clues in the literature provided: 1 – Crucially, the ticketing assistance hours are defined (as per GTR’s public consultation FAQs) as when staff would be available in the main station area (ie. all station areas apart from the closed ticket office) to help with ticket purchases and queries. 2 – GTR in their description of accessibility provision under the new proposals (Column H) states at four of their stations, Carshalton, Cheam, Coulsdon Town and Crawley that; “following the end of ticket assistance hours, accessibility provision provided by Mobile Assistance team through to last train”. As the vast majority of other stations under their control have been flagged as having first to last train assistance available, even though they are not staffed throughout the time trains are running, I have been unable to find out what is different about these particular stations. I suspect that mobile assistance teams will be used to provide accessibility assistance when requested. This is obviously completely different from a permanent staff presence at the station. Both these descriptions indicate to me that the ‘ticketing assistance hours’ are actually setting out the hours during which the stations will be staffed. When I raised this directly with GTR on 7th July, I was told that the platform staffing hours were a separate internal employee process from the ticket office opening hours and they could not give any guarantees about the platform staffing levels outside of the proposed ticketing assistance hours. Northern has made it clear in its consultation documents that the number of hours that staff are present at their stations will reduce and that outside of their ‘Journey Maker’ hours their stations will be unstaffed. In my view, GTR has been less transparent. However, I believe it is fair to deduce from the information that we have been given that ‘ticketing assistance hours’ on GTR means exactly the same as ‘Journey Maker hours’ on Northern. It is relevant to say at this point that the Rail Delivery Group (an oxymoron if ever I have heard one) will not guarantee that there will not be compulsory redundancies as a result of their proposals and their dispute resolution offer to the unions only commits to no compulsory redundancies until December 2024. The offer to the rail unions only commits to no compulsory redundancies until December 2024. The rather more transparent Northern admits there will be an overall reduction in the headcount of station staff across their network, as per their answer to Q12 below. FAQ Question from Northern Rail. Question – Will there be a reduction in the overall number of colleagues at stations? Answer – Our proposal which is subject to consultation is that the overall headcount will reduce once we introduce the new Journey Maker role. Further, GTR has also not given any commitment to the timings of access to toilets at their stations. Currently, these are only open when the station is staffed, either by platform staff and/or when the ticket office is open. Northern has also provided a helpful infographic about the new multi-purpose role for the former ticket office staff which includes fare advice and accessibility assistance, who on Northern at least, will now be called ‘Journey Makers’. There is no reason to believe that the multi-purpose role set out below will be any different for GTR ticket office staff. An infographic from the Northern Rail consultation brochure setting out the responsibilities of the proposed ‘Journey Maker’ staff which are 1 – give customers information 2 – help customers buy tickets online and via machines 3 – provide extra assistance to those who need it 4 – make announcements at stations 5 – help resolve customer issues 6 – assist during service disruption 7 – keep stations clean and tidy. Under the RDG’s proposals, ticket office staff will undertake a multi-purpose role ‘in front of the glass’ to replace all existing station based roles, offering accessibility assistance as well as performing gateline duties currently performed by other members of staff. This will clearly be an opportunity for the train operating companies to reduce staff numbers to avoid what they will see as duplication. GTR states that no stations that are staffed today will become unstaffed. However, under the guise of retaining ‘ticketing assistance,’ it enables GTR and the other train companies to reduce the time that they are staffing their stations. There are many examples in the data, too numerous to mention, but I provide a few examples below. Arlesey – proposed ‘ticketing assistance’ hours Monday to Friday 06.45 to 12.10 Under the proposals, the station loses the platform staff currently present between 16.00 and 20.00 Biggleswade – proposed ‘ticketing assistance’ hours Monday to Friday 06.20 to 14.15. Under the proposals, the station loses the platform staff currently present between 16.00 and 20.00. This will also impact the opening times of the toilets that have just opened at the station. Crawley – proposed ‘ticketing assistance’ hours 06.00 to 22.30 Monday to Friday. This is an increase in the current ticket office hours, but the station will become unstaffed from 22.30 at night whereas currently the station is staffed until 01.00 Deansgate (Northern) – proposed ‘Journey Maker’ hours on Monday to Friday from 05.50 to 12.50. The current ticket office hours are 06.00 to 23.30 Hexham (Northern) – proposed ‘Journey Maker’ hours Monday to Friday 09.00 to 12.30. This is a reduction from the current ticket office hours of 07.15 to 17.30. It should be noted that at this station the barrow crossing between platforms can only be used when the station is staffed. The barrow crossing at Hexham station. only accessible when staff are present. Leagrave – proposed increase in ‘ticketing assistance’ hours between 05.45 and 21.10 Monday to Friday. This is an increase from the current ticket office hours, but the station will be unstaffed from 21.10 at night. If you detect a lack of neutrality in this post I will hold my hand up and admit bias. I along with the travelling public, accessibility campaigners and the rail unions want an accessible, safe, affordable and fully staffed rail network. It is now clear that the Rail Delivery Group and this Government do not. Whose side are they on? Julian Vaughan Chair – Bedfordshire Rail Access Network 9th July 2023 Twitter: @julian_vaughan_ Sources and further reading Rail Delivery Group – Customer Focused Stations https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/customer-focused-reform/customer-focused-stations.html#consultation Northern Railway – Changing how we support our customers at our stations https://www.northernrailway.co.uk/consultation-2023 Thameslink – public consultation including FAQs https://www.thameslinkrailway.com/about-us/our-commitments/public-consultation Rail Delivery Group – the RMT Offer https://www.raildeliverygroup.com/uk-rail-industry/customer-focused-reform/rmt-offer.html Association of British Commuters – Experts call for ORR and EHRC to intervene in ticket office closures UK Parliament Early Day Motion – Future of Railway Ticket Offices https://edm.parliament.uk/early-day-motion/61155 #UKpolitics #stepfreeaccess #accessibility #publictransport #railways #Transport

Earlier today the Bedfordshire Rail Access Network (BRAN) team met with Network Rail, Richard Fuller MP, town and district Councillors and Govia Thameslink Railway to discuss the latest on the step-free project and the transport hub. The previous meeting took place on 3rd February and you can read a summary of that meeting here: http://julianvaughan.blog/2023/02/05/step-free-project-hits-the-buffers/ At the start of the meeting, there was a short discussion about the makeup of the ‘committee’. It is worth pointing out that I believe we are on the 4th Network Rail project team since Biggleswade station was awarded ‘Access for All’ funding in April 2019, which has made it more difficult to build working relations. Further, only the BRAN team, which represents the views of disabled people, has been present throughout the project. Bus Interchange Work on the bus interchange is making good progress along with surrounding walkways in the area of the new zebra crossing. There are a few issues that delayed the proposed walkabout of the interchange, but this has been re-scheduled for the week commencing 22nd May. Due to concerns about the lighting of the interchange on nearby residents, the lighting will now be centrally controlled and either dimmed or switched off out of bus service hours. Coordination of bus and train services At the last few meetings, I have raised the importance of coordinating the bus and train timetables so that bus services are a viable option for commuters. Since the last meeting in February, I emailed asking whether there had been any meetings at all between the rail and bus companies. As the rough completion date for the bus interchange has been known for some time, it is very disappointing to hear that as yet there have not been any. We were told today that a mixture of commercial and subsidised routes will serve the station, with the implication that commercial routes can do as they please. The bus interchange – photo taken on 4th May While the nature of a privatised bus network means this is true, it does seem a very negative approach to not make an effort to coordinate public transport in the area – which would surely be beneficial to both the rail and bus companies. This part of the meeting ended with some not entirely convincing assurances that discussions will take place on this later in the year. We need to be doing far better than this if we are to get the full potential from the interchange. Fiona from our team also raised the issue that when the station does become step-free, the timings should include a time allowance for station staff assistance for those with reduced mobility who are travelling by bus and then by train. Toilets Work on the toilet block is also progressing, with a ‘snagging’ meeting due to take place on 8th June with an opening date shortly after that. At the moment there is likely to be an official joint opening of both the toilets and the bus interchange at a yet to be confirmed date in June. Staffing levels At every meeting, I have raised the issue of what the staffing levels are going to be at the station, as this could potentially impact both the availability of the lift service and the hours that the toilets are open. Once again we were not given an answer, but I got the strong impression that there will be no increase in staffing levels at the station. There did not seem to be an appreciation that an unstaffed rail network discourages people from travelling due to safety concerns, as well as making the railway inaccessible to many people. We need a complete change of culture in the area. As it stands at the moment the new toilets may only be open when the station is staffed. These hours are set out below in a screenshot from the National Rail Enquiries website. Lifts – timeline toward installation We were presented with the latest timeline of all the steps that need to be taken before the lifts come into service. The good news was that the date has not moved back from the last meeting and remains December 2024. I would also say there is more confidence now that this date can be achieved. A number of questions were raised about the potential for the stages to be achieved over a shorter time and we were told every effort would be made to speed things up. At the moment construction will begin on site in February 2024. You can read more about the previous slippages to the timeline in the blog mentioned in the first paragraph, so I won’t go over old ground here. An early outline of the ramp toward the lifts on each platform. The current bridge, which will remain is shown in grey, with the site of the bus interchange shaded amber. Summary I’m delighted that this Summer Biggleswade will have a transport interchange that links up bus and rail services and that we will finally have toilets at the station. However, the devil is always in the detail and unless we have some joined up thinking the potential benefits of the interchange may not be realised. I will continue to press for greater cooperation between the transport companies and will be keeping a very close eye on what they offer us. The government’s ‘Bus Back Better’ strategy has failed and bus services are getting worse not better across Bedfordshire. In terms of step-free access at the station, it is good news that the timeline hasn’t slipped any further and that there is more confidence that the date can be achieved, but we have serious concerns that the lack of staffing will impact both the accessibility and usability of the new facilities at the station. If the station is unstaffed it will mean that for many people the station will remain inaccessible. A fully staffed and accessible rail network, linked with frequent and reliable bus services would bring huge benefits to Bedfordshire and the UK. Unfortunately, we are going in the opposite direction. The BRAN team will be attending the opening of the bus interchange and station toilets in June, with our next meeting with Network Rail in the diary for September. You can get in touch with us via email at: bedsrailaccessnetwork@gmail.com Thank you to the BRAN team for their support and advice. Julian Vaughan Chair Bedfordshire Rail Access Network #stepfreeaccess #biggleswade #buses #accessibility #Bedfordshire #publictransport #railways #Transport

While I’m obviously disappointed not to have been elected, I’m delighted for my five Labour colleagues who are now Central Bedfordshire Councillors. After years of Tory domination, the council has moved to ‘No Overall Control’ and we have two Labour Councillors (Stotfold and Arlesey and Fairfield) in what will be the new Parliamentary constituency of Hitchin, which bodes well for the future. Thank you to those from across the political spectrum who have sent private messages of support, it means a lot. I’m also super proud of our campaign team in Biggleswade who worked so hard over the last few weeks. We were definitely noticed across the town, fell short by just 18 votes in Biggleswade East and finished ahead of the Tories in Biggleswade West. Politics is a serious business and we worked very hard, but we also had a lot of fun during the campaign and we had a happy team. Thank you to all those who helped out, you were amazing. The UK faces huge challenges ahead. Whatever your views on Brexit, it has polarised our society and 13 years of Tory austerity has resulted in our NHS and public services being on their knees. Inequality is deeply entrenched in our society and we have a government that prefers to stoke up hate and division rather than fix the deep-seated problems we face. I believe we enrich our communities when we look after everyone within it. People in ‘small boats’ didn’t trash our NHS and homeless people didn’t wreck our public services. I have now stood in two General Elections and two local elections and have yet to be elected. One day it would be nice to write one of these from a winning perspective! However, my drive for social justice remains undimmed and my life experiences have provided me with the determination to persevere. Watch this space. In the immediate future, next week I’ll be attending a walkaround of the new Transport interchange in Biggleswade – and yes we do need more buses! The following week I will be meeting with Network Rail and others regarding step-free access at the train station and I’ll be posting an update about the latest on my campaign for a fair deal for prepayment meter households which resulted in the issue being raised in Parliament recently. I totally understand why people are disillusioned with politics. However, politics has the potential to change our lives and our communities for the better. It is politics that created our NHS. One day I hope to be a part of that change to a fairer more equal society. But first I’m going to have a long sleep! Julian Vaughan 7th May 2023 #labourparty #Politics #UKpolitics

On 31st March, the pause in the installation of prepayment meters by warrant will end. The appalling treatment of prepayment meter customers, who are among the most financially vulnerable people in the UK, is a national scandal. Ofgem, the UK’s energy regulator has fundamentally failed in its role to protect vulnerable energy users and while they have recently been forced into finally taking action, pressed by public outrage rather than any sense of proactiveness on their part, prepayment meters still endure a number of injustices that the government have yet to fix. Below is the email I have sent to my local Conservative MP, Richard Fuller, setting out how Ofgem has failed as a regulator, pointing out the continuing sky-high standing charges endured by PPM customers and the lack of progress by the government on the urgent need for a ‘social tariff’ providing reduced rate energy for financially vulnerable households. Dear Richard Following on from my email to you on 8th December 2022 and your reply on 14th December, I am writing to you to draw your attention to issues arising from your reply and subsequent actions taken by the government. Bearing in mind that the pause in prepayment meter installations is due to end on 31st March, I ask that you give the issues below urgent attention. In my email to you, I drew your attention to households being forced onto prepayment meters at an industrial scale, without the required notice period, via remote switching, and in cases where the customer was vulnerable. You responded by saying: “In relation to prepayment meters, Ofgem has taken a number of actions on prepayment meters in recent times. It warned suppliers in June 2018 that prepayment meters should be installed only as a last resort for debt collection. Ofgem banned forcible installation for vulnerable customers in 2017”. Subsequent events have set out that Ofgem fundamentally failed in its role of (in words taken from their website ) “stamping out sharp and bad practice, ensuring fair treatment for all consumers, especially the vulnerable”. The disgusting treatment of vulnerable customers was revealed not by Ofgem, but by an undercover reporter. I also remind you that only back in November 2022, Ofgem gave British Gas a clean bill of health, stating that their approach to vulnerable customers only had ‘minor weaknesses’ (link below). I believe Ofgem is currently not fit for purpose and is failing to carry out its responsibilities in a timely manner. Its recent action against British Gas only came as a result of a public outcry, not proactive or effective monitoring on their part. Can you advise what steps the government will take to ensure that Ofgem will actually work effectively to protect energy consumers? While it is welcome that the government will remove the longstanding premium paid by prepayment meter customers in the higher rates they pay per kWh of energy there still remains the injustice of the exorbitant daily standing charges paid by PPM households which the government will not resolve until April 2024 (link below – Spring Budget para 2.25 p40). This standing charge premium is partly a result of money being clawed back from the ‘Supplier of last resort Scheme’ after a number of companies folded due to weak oversight by Ofgem and shady practices by the companies. It is plainly unjust that prepayment meter customers are shouldering the cost of the failures of the regulator and sharp practices by unscrupulous energy company CEO’s. I request that you ask for this standing charge premium applied to PPM customers be removed as a matter of urgency. While there is talk of a ‘social tariff’ that will provide a reduced price tariff for financially vulnerable energy users there is little action. Other countries provide social tariffs, so why is it proving so difficult for the energy regulator and the UK government to sort this issue out promptly? I’m sure that you are aware that many households are struggling to afford to heat their homes, even with the government support that is being given. Can you ask the relevant government department what the timescale is for a social tariff to be introduced? Aside from the mental and physical health impacts of being disconnected from their energy supply and the resulting cold and damp homes, prepayment meter customers have to endure the further accumulation of debt via their daily standing charges that continue to apply even after they have been cut off and are shivering in cold and unlit homes. I hope you will agree that this situation is beyond grim. Can you ask that steps are taken to stop the accumulation of further debt in this manner and that when a prepayment meter household is disconnected, their standing charge is halted until the time of reconnection? The pause in the installation of prepayment meters is due to end (for all suppliers except British Gas) on 31st March. I have little confidence that sufficient safeguards are in place to protect vulnerable customers from inappropriate prepayment meter installations. In addition, the higher standing charges paid by PPM customers and the lack of a social tariff mean that PPM customers will continue to pay the highest rates for their energy even though they are the most financially vulnerable. This is clearly unjust. I would be grateful if you would urgently make the case for the pause in the installation of PPMs to be continued until the three issues mentioned above; adequate safeguards, reduced standing charges, and a social tariff have been introduced. Finally, Ofgem in a written answer to the Business Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee in October 2022 stated that they are collecting data on the number of self-disconnections by repayment meter customers and will release this information in ‘early 2023’. I have been in touch with Ofgem in the last week and they are still unable to provide a firm date for publication. Can you press Ofgem or the relevant Minister as to when this data will be published? Please do get in touch if you have any questions. As before, please regard this as an open letter. Julian Vaughan 26th March 2023 Sources Spring Budget 2023 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1144441/Web_accessible_Budget_2023.pdf Ofgem review into how suppliers support customers in vulnerable situations – published 27th November 2022 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/ofgem-completes-review-how-suppliers-support-customers-vulnerable-situations Ofgem written evidence to the BEIS committee – October 2022 https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/30191/documents/174915/default/ The injustice of prepayment meters – an open letter to my MP 8th December 2022 http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/12/08/the-injustice-of-prepayment-meters-an-open-letter-to-my-mp/ #UKpolitics #socialtariff #costoflivingcrisis #prepaymentmeters #Bedfordshire #Politics

Since we first started campaigning for step-free access at Biggleswade station I have sat in numerous meetings to discuss the many issues that have needed to be resolved. Without a doubt, Friday’s meeting with Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway, Richard Fuller MP and Central Bedfordshire Council was the most disappointing meeting I have attended to date. In short, Network Rail took us through a brief PowerPoint presentation to tell us that the estimated completion date has now slipped back to December 2024 – and even this date is dependent upon arranging a suitable ‘possession’, a railway term for safe access to the track and the surrounding infrastructure for engineering work to take place. The likely date for the lifts to be in service is therefore early 2025, which is SIX years from when a successful bid for ‘Access for All’ funding was announced. Explaining their reasons for the delay, Network Rail placed most of the blame on a four-month pause while reviewing our request to bring the additional steps to the new bridge back into the scope of the project. Network Rail had intended to remove this from the design to cut costs. However, this 4 month pause has inexplicably turned into an 18-month delay to the project, shifting the completion date from June 2023 to an estimated January 2025. Further, and again we find this hard to believe, they now have issues with the ‘footprint’ of the lifts in relation to safety clearances to the platform edges. We find it incomprehensible that three years on from being supplied with detailed designs showing platform clearance (to the centimetre) with no concerns raised, this has suddenly become an issue. Design drawings supplied to us in December 2020 showing the new bridge with lifts/ steps and the platform edge clearances (shown in centimeters) In addition, Network Rail said that they had to move their design team onto other projects while this pause was in place. However much of the design work was due to be completed between January and August 2022. We first became aware of the removal of the steps (shown in the diagram above) from the scope of the project in July 2022 so much of the design aspect must have been completed. It is not credible that two sets of stairs, already present throughout all the early designs, are now the cause of such an extended delay. It seems each setback or change to the scope of the project results in it going back almost to square one in what is a baffling, byzantine and opaque process, lacking any transparency. Multi-million pound projects such as the provision of step-free access to the station must be transparent and those public bodies in charge of the project should be accountable. If there is no transparency, it is extremely difficult to achieve accountability. I believe the public has a right to know what is happening and why it is happening. As per the Nolan principle of openness, “information should not be withheld from the public unless there are clear and lawful reasons for so doing.” This is why I have posted regular updates since the start of the project. Below are the series of timelines that were supplied to us at each of the meetings, starting with the oldest first: Project timeline as of 18th January 2021 As you can see the original target entry date for the completion of the scheme had been brought forward from Autumn 2023 to a potential date of late Summer 2022. This acceleration of the project was made possible through the scheme being chosen to take part in the Department for Transport’s Project SPEED. Project timeline as of 7th March 2022 One year on you can see that the completion date has slipped, but the Investment Authority has been received and the surveys and detailed designs are in progress. ‘Shovels in the ground’ are estimated to start on October 2022, with a completion date of June 2023. Obviously, this is considerably later than earlier estimates, but still ahead of schedule in comparison to the original forecast. Project timeline as of May 2022 At the May 2022 meeting, the timeline presented to us hadn’t changed, although we were advised that they were looking at the scope of the scheme (outside of the core remit to provide step-free access) with a look at a ‘value engineered design’ – in English, cost-saving measures. Below, we move on to the timeline as of July 2022. Nothing has changed in the timeline, with the estimated completion date still June 2023. We were advised that the scheme had been presented to the Network Rail Investment Authority panel on 7th June 2022 and was fully endorsed, funded and authorised for delivery. However, we were also advised that the steps to the additional bridge being constructed (the bridge that will accommodate the lifts to each platform) had been removed from the scope of the scheme. Project timeline as of July 2022 The Bedfordshire Rail Access Network team, objected to the removal of the steps from the additional bridge. The reasons we objected were that, although the steps don’t impact the step-free route, their removal would mean that the station would not be ‘future-proofed’ for the increase in passenger numbers in the coming years and passengers would have to rely on the current steps to the platforms, which are not fit for purpose and create safety issues at peak times. Regular users of the station will be aware of the crowding at the bottom of the stairs when two trains arrive at the same time. Our objection was backed by other stakeholders in the room with a consensus that the small saving resulting from removing the steps from the project was not worth the disbenefit to passengers using the station over the coming decades. Network Rail agreed to take this away and come back to us. We acknowledged that this would delay the project slightly, but felt the long-term benefit to the station users outweighed the cost. Four months later Network Rail came back to us and stated that the steps had been brought back into the scope of the project, but that a number of hoops had to be jumped through again, including further financial reviews, a re-pricing exercise, and that re-authority for the project would have to be obtained. Therefore, as you can see from the timeline below, the ‘start on site’ and ‘entry into service’ dates now had a ‘to be confirmed’ label attached to them. Project timeline as of November 2022 We were also advised that the design phase will recommence once these authorities have been obtained. *It is worth noting here that the ‘surveys and design phase’ which is shown in previous timelines as taking place between January to August 2022, had almost been completed before the initial removal of the stairs from the project. We asked for an estimated date for the entry of lifts into service and were told it could be late 2023. Moving on to our latest meeting held on Friday 3rd February and we were presented with the timeline below. Project timeline as of February 2023 The timeline shows that the predicted completion of the scheme is now December 2024, with a proviso that this is subject to obtaining access to the railway to complete the works. Further, the timeline includes a six-month period of ‘detailed design’. This is a similar length of time that was allocated to the surveys and design phase previously. This would seem to suggest that they have had to start from scratch and redesign the whole project, This is just not credible. It has been put to us that there is a difference between ‘initial’ design and ‘detailed’ design, While we understand that concept, how is it that this was never highlighted in all the previous timelines, which went from ‘surveys and design’ to ‘procurement of materials and plant’ to ‘main works on site’? Further, there is a five-month gap between the end of the ‘detailed design phase’ and the start of works on site. A gap that was not present in previous timelines. Additionally, re-authorities for funding will be required as well as the need for ‘Station Change’ to be submitted to Govia Thameslink Railway and other rail industry bodies. So much for ‘Project SPEED’! The BRAN team outside Biggleswade station in October 2021 Not to put too fine a point on it we feel that we (as representatives for disabled people) are being excluded and are not being provided with the full picture. While we have meetings every three months (we insisted that they be held regularly) we are not given any updates on problems or progress between these dates. At the moment it seems that the consultation with us is little more than a tick-box exercise. On a more positive note, while Richard Fuller MP and I disagree on many things, we continue to work well together on this project and we were in broad agreement that the delays to the project were completely unacceptable. Richard suggested that we jointly write to Network Rail and the Department for Transport setting out our concerns, which I have agreed to do. We asked once again about what the staffing levels would be at the station, once the lifts are finally in service. Unfortunately, Govia Thameslink Railway was again unable to provide us with any assurances that the station from the first train until the last train, or whether the lifts could be used if the station were unstaffed. Bus interchange The bus interchange is on course to be completed by April/May this year which is excellent news. However, we do have concerns about the poor levels of bus services provided to Biggleswade and the surrounding villages. We also said that to encourage people out of their cars and on to public transport, every effort should be made to coordinate the bus and train timetables so that they become a viable option for both commuters and leisure travellers. We said that this process should be open and transparent and that we would be happy to work with them on this issue. Station toilets Work will start on the new toilet block on Monday, with an estimated open date again around April/May this year. There will be a male, female and accessible toilet in this block which will be situated just to the right of the current taxi office. The BRAN team presenting their petition to the DfT in November 2018 For much of the UK’s rail network to remain inaccessible to wheelchair and mobility-impaired users is unacceptable in the Century. The ‘Victorian infrastructure’ line is wearing thin after 150 years. It is likely that the problems we have encountered with the step-free project are being repeated elsewhere. Of course, step-free projects must offer value for money, but it has been proven that step-free stations return far more to the economy than the initial investment. The current governance of these projects seems excessively complicated. The residents of Biggleswade and people with disabilities across the UK deserve far better. Our next meeting is on 15th May. However, we will be in contact with both Network Rail and the Department for Transport over the coming weeks. Do get in touch with us if you have any questions, our email address is below. Julian Vaughan Chair Bedfordshire Rail Access Network email: bedsrailaccessnetwork@gmail.com 5th February 2023 Further reading: Inclusive Mobility: A guide to best practice on access to pedestrian and transport infrastructure https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1044542/inclusive-mobility-a-guide-to-best-practice-on-access-to-pedestrian-and-transport-infrastructure.pdf Rail Project SPEED – Launched February 2021 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/launch-of-project-speed-challenges-rail-industry-to-cut-time-and-costs-of-rail-upgrades Bigglesade Station Update: 16th November 2022 http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/11/16/biggleswade-station-update-16th-november-2022/ Biggleswade Station Update: 15th July 2022 http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/07/15/biggleswade-station-update-15th-july/ Biggleswade Station Update> 9th May 2022 http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/05/09/biggleswade-station-update-9th-may/ Equal Access on the railways: How much longer? http://julianvaughan.blog/2020/01/10/equal-access-on-the-railways-how-much-longer/ #stepfreeaccess #buses #accessibility #publictransport #railways #Politics

While we may have moved on from the limited voting rights of the 19th Century, in 1832 the Reform Act granted voting rights to men only if they were freeholders of property and over the age of 21 (women didn’t get full voting rights until 1928) we are very shortly about to see a significant change in how we vote at polling stations across the country. This blog provides links to register to vote at your current address, sets out the different ways to vote, gives details on the new Voter ID requirement when you vote at a polling station and what to do if you do not currently have the required identification. The first elections the new voter ID requirements will affect are the local council elections on 4th May 2023. How to register to Vote You only need to register once at a given address, but if you move home you will have to register again at your new address otherwise you will not be able to vote. The online form should take no more than five minutes, you will need your National Insurance number to hand. To register to vote, stick the kettle on and click on the kettle below, or click on this link: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote The deadline to register to be able to vote in the local council elections in May is Monday 17th April. If you don’t want to fill in a form online, you can register to vote (this is not voting by post) by filling out a paper form which you can print from here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-youre-living-in-the-uk Voting as a Student Students can register at both their home address and their term-time address. You can vote at both addresses in local council elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, provided the addresses are in different council areas. In a UK Parliament Election (a general or by-election) a UK referendum (such as the Brexit vote) or London Assembly/London Mayoral Elections you can only vote at one address. More details on student voting here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/students In England, you can vote from the age of 18. In more enlightened countries such as Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections from 16+. Applying for a postal vote You can apply to vote by post. You will need to send a completed paper form to your local Electoral Registration Office. The link to print off a postal vote application is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote You do not need to provide photo ID to vote by post. The deadline to apply for a postal vote in Central Bedfordshire is Tuesday 18th April. Applying for a proxy vote If you can’t vote in person you can in certain circumstances get someone else to vote for you. These circumstances include if you are in the armed forces if you are living overseas or have a disability. I have included the link for if you have a disability: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-vote-by-proxy-due-to-a-disability The deadline to apply for a proxy vote for the local elections is Tuesday 25th April. What are the upcoming changes to how you vote? From 4th May 2023, you will need to provide photographic ID when you attend a polling station in England to cast your vote in local elections and parliamentary by-elections in England and Wales. From October 2023 this will extend to voting in General Elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The list of acceptable ID you need to show at the polling station is below. International travel Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country Driving and Parking Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence) A Blue Badge Local travel Older Person’s Bus Pass Disabled Person’s Bus Pass Oyster 60+ Card Freedom Pass Scottish National Entitlement Card 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Proof of age Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card) You can apply for a PASS card here (cost £15): https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/pass-card Other government-issued documents Biometric immigration document Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card) National identity card issued by an EEA state Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland Voter Authority Certificate Anonymous Elector’s Document You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. What if my photo ID is out of date? You can still use your photo ID if it’s out of date, as long as it looks like you. The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote. What if I don’t have an accepted form of ID? You can apply free of charge for a Voter Authority Certificate by clicking on the link below. You will need a recent digital photo of yourself and your National Insurance number. https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate More details about the voter authority certificate can be found here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/applying-a-voter-authority-certificate How can I check if I’m registered to vote? Contact your local Electoral Registration Office. You can find out where yours is by entering your postcode at this link: https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office The above information has been sourced from the Electoral Commission as well as the government’s gov.uk website. My personal view is that the voter ID requirement is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist so the motives behind the change are highly suspect. You can read about the Local Government Association’s concerns about the timetable of the implementation of Voter ID here: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/lga-statement-parliamentary-vote-plans-introduce-voter-id You can read the House of Commons Library research paper on how Voter ID came to be introduced in the UK, along with case studies of ID schemes in Northern Ireland and Canada here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/ Julian Vaughan 20th January 2023 #UKpolitics #elections #voterID #registertovote #democracy #Politics

While we may have moved on from the limited voting rights of the 19th Century, in 1832 the Reform Act granted voting rights to men only if they were freeholders of property and over the age of 21 (women didn’t get full voting rights until 1928) we are very shortly about to see a significant change in how we vote at polling stations across the country. This blog provides links to register to vote at your current address, sets out the different ways to vote, gives details on the new Voter ID requirement when you vote at a polling station and what to do if you do not currently have the required identification. The first elections the new voter ID requirements will affect are the local council elections on 4th May 2023. How to register to Vote You only need to register once at a given address, but if you move home you will have to register again at your new address otherwise you will not be able to vote. The online form should take no more than five minutes, you will need your National Insurance number to hand. To register to vote, stick the kettle on and click on the kettle below, or click on this link: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote If you don’t want to fill in a form online, you can register to vote (this is not voting by post) by filling out a paper form which you can print from here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/register-to-vote-if-youre-living-in-the-uk Voting as a Student Students can register at both their home address and their term-time address. You can vote at both addresses in local council elections and Police and Crime Commissioner elections, provided the addresses are in different council areas. In a UK Parliament Election (a general or by-election) a UK referendum (such as the Brexit vote) or London Assembly/London Mayoral Elections you can only vote at one address. More details on student voting here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/students In England, you can vote from the age of 18. In more enlightened countries such as Scotland or Wales, you can vote in some elections from 16+. Applying for a postal vote You can apply to vote by post. You will need to send a completed paper form to your local Electoral Registration Office. The link to print off a postal vote application is here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-for-a-postal-vote You do not need to provide photo ID to vote by post. Applying for a proxy vote If you can’t vote in person you can in certain circumstances get someone else to vote for you. These circumstances include if you are in the armed forces if you are living overseas or have a disability. I have included the link for if you have a disability: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apply-to-vote-by-proxy-due-to-a-disability What are the upcoming changes to how you vote? From 4th May 2023, you will need to provide photographic ID when you attend a polling station in England to cast your vote in local elections and parliamentary by-elections in England and Wales. From October 2023 this will extend to voting in General Elections in England, Scotland and Wales. The list of acceptable ID you need to show at the polling station is below. International travel Passport issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, a British Overseas Territory, an EEA state or a Commonwealth country Driving and Parking Driving licence issued by the UK, any of the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, or an EEA state (this includes a provisional driving licence) A Blue Badge Local travel Older Person’s Bus Pass Disabled Person’s Bus Pass Oyster 60+ Card Freedom Pass Scottish National Entitlement Card 60 and Over Welsh Concessionary Travel Card Disabled Person’s Welsh Concessionary Travel Card Senior SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Registered Blind SmartPass or Blind Person’s SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland War Disablement SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland 60+ SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Half Fare SmartPass issued in Northern Ireland Proof of age Identity card bearing the Proof of Age Standards Scheme hologram (a PASS card) You can apply for a PASS card here (cost £15): https://www.postoffice.co.uk/identity/pass-card Other government-issued documents Biometric immigration document Ministry of Defence Form 90 (Defence Identity Card) National identity card issued by an EEA state Electoral Identity Card issued in Northern Ireland Voter Authority Certificate Anonymous Elector’s Document You will only need to show one form of photo ID. It needs to be the original version and not a photocopy. What if my photo ID is out of date? You can still use your photo ID if it’s out of date, as long as it looks like you. The name on your ID should be the same name you used to register to vote. What if I don’t have an accepted form of ID? You can apply free of charge for a Voter Authority Certificate by clicking on the link below. You will need a recent digital photo of yourself and your National Insurance number. https://www.gov.uk/apply-for-photo-id-voter-authority-certificate More details about the voter authority certificate can be found here: https://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/i-am-a/voter/voter-id/applying-a-voter-authority-certificate How can I check if I’m registered to vote? Contact your local Electoral Registration Office. You can find out where yours is by entering your postcode at this link: https://www.gov.uk/contact-electoral-registration-office The above information has been sourced from the Electoral Commission as well as the government’s gov.uk website. My personal view is that the voter ID requirement is a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist so the motives behind the change are highly suspect. You can read about the Local Government Association’s concerns about the timetable of the implementation of Voter ID here: https://www.local.gov.uk/about/news/lga-statement-parliamentary-vote-plans-introduce-voter-id You can read the House of Commons Library research paper on how Voter ID came to be introduced in the UK, along with case studies of ID schemes in Northern Ireland and Canada here: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-9187/ Julian Vaughan 20th January 2023 #UKpolitics #elections #voterID #registertovote #democracy #Politics

The following is a letter sent to my MP, Richard Fuller on 8th December, setting out the injustice faced by those who pay for their energy via a prepayment meter. Mr Fuller replied on 14th December and I have included this reply at the bottom of the blog. Dear Richard I am writing to you regarding the poor treatment of energy customers who pay for their energy via prepayment meters and my concerns around the substantial numbers of households who are being forced onto prepayment meters, either via court warrant or if they have a smart meter, being remotely switched from credit to prepayment mode without prior notice. Prepayment meter (PPM) customers are by definition among the most financially vulnerable in the UK. Research by Citizens Advice found that in 2018 around 140,000 households had been unable to top up their prepayment meter within the last 12 months. 88% of these households contained a child or someone with long-term health issues. 87% of these households were on benefits and only 9% of these households had contacted their supplier for help. More recent evidence has found that self-disconnections in the first half of 2022, exceeded the total number of disconnections across 2020 and 2021 combined. PPM customers endure a number of injustices Firstly, they pay more for their energy than those paying via direct debit. This leads to the abhorrent situation where those on the lowest incomes pay a higher rate for their energy than the wealthiest in the country. This was described as “perverse” by Keith Anderson the CEO of Scottish Power, although sadly this practice was defended by the energy regulator Ofgem. Secondly, PPM customers pay standing charges at a higher rate than any other method of payment. Daily standing charges have risen considerably in the last 12 months. A major component of this standing charge is to recoup money for the ‘Supplier of Last Resort’ scheme following the collapse of a high number of energy suppliers. Therefore, the poorest households in the UK are bearing the brunt of weak regulation and oversight by the energy regulator Ofgem and shady practices by the Directors of these energy firms. Thirdly, and arguably the most profound injustice faced by PPM customers, after they ‘self-disconnect’ from their gas or electricity supply, they still accrue further debt on a daily basis, as the standing charges still apply – even after they can no longer heat their homes or switch on their lights. These standing charges, along with any emergency credit provided by the energy company must be cleared before the supply is restored. For PPM customers the average daily standing charge for electricity is 51p a day and for gas 37p a day. This adds up to over £7 per week – small change for MPs, but the final straw for people already in dire financial straits. Further, direct debit customers have the benefit of spreading the cost of their energy evenly throughout the year. PPM customers do not have that luxury and must pay upfront for all their energy use – and at a higher rate. A cold spell is a minor inconvenience for direct debit customers, for those on prepayment meters it is an imminent financial crisis. There are multiple negative impacts resulting from ‘self-disconnection’ by PPM customers. As acknowledged by Ofgem in their 2020 Impact Assessment report, aside from cold homes and unlit rooms, customers are unable to wash properly and there are the added issues of stress due to financial problems, as well as feelings of shame and embarrassment. In April 2023, the Energy Price Guarantee will rise to £3,000, up from the current level of £2,500. Of course, this will increase unit prices and standing charges further. It should be pointed out that this is neither a ‘guarantee’ or a ‘cap’ but a maximum rate a customer can be charged for a set amount of energy, termed the ‘Typical Domestic Consumption Value.’ In spite of the welcome support provided by the £900 Cost of Living payment, many households will struggle will this 20% rise in energy costs. Further, for the reasons previously discussed PPM households will be at high risk of financial hardship. Potential solutions to ease the burden would be to abolish standing charges for those who pay their bills by PPM. At current standing charge rates this would save an electricity PPM customer around £186 per year and a gas PPM customer £155 per year. This would also end the insidious racking up of debt while disconnected. I would ask you to consider pressing for this as an option that would benefit your constituents who pay for their energy by PPM. Households forced onto prepayment meters Throughout 2022 energy companies have ramped up their efforts to forcibly move customers onto prepayment meters. In the first six months of the year there were 187,000 applications for warrants to install PPMs in homes. As a comparison, there were 67,000 PPMs installed via warrant in 2019. The industrial scale of this change has led to suspicions that PPM installations are being ‘rubber stamped’ with little scrutiny around the circumstances of individual customers. As well as being moved onto a payment method that incurs higher costs, customers face a £150 charge for the installation of a PPM, worsening their already difficult financial situation. Further, there is strong evidence that energy companies are not abiding by their licence conditions which stipulate that a ‘seven working day’ notice period is required and they are not carrying out “an assessment of whether prepayment mode is safe and reasonably practicable for the consumer” and customers are being changed from credit to PPM mode without any notice being provided. This is completely unacceptable. This forced change onto prepayment meters is also being seen as a ‘back door’ means of disconnection as PPM customers do not have the same level of protection against being cut-off as customers on credit meters, who in most cases cannot be disconnected between the dates of 1st October and 31st March. To date, Ofgem has done little more than write strongly worded letters to the energy companies. I hope you will agree that it is long past time for enforcement action to be taken and these practices must be stopped immediately. Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) vouchers for Prepayment customers I have seen that Grant Shapps, the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy wrote to energy company CEOs on 4th December regarding the lack of uptake of EBSS vouchers by those customers on traditional (i.e. not smart) PPMs. Mr Shapps points out that 41% of these vouchers issued in October to PPM customers using traditional meters had not been redeemed. This equates to approximately 800,000 vouchers with a value of around £66m. You will be aware, as you sat on the committee, that the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee had already highlighted concerns around the issuing of vouchers in their ‘Energy pricing and the future of the energy market’ report, published in July 2022. A link to this report here: https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/23255/documents/169712/default/ I draw your attention to paragraphs 72 and 73 of the report, which discusses excessive standing charges for PPM customers; paragraphs 172, 173 and 174, which discuss previous issues with the loss of vouchers, a 30% rate of non-redemption of vouchers during a 2014-15 government scheme and finally a recommendation that “the Government pays the scheme via a negative standing charge to mitigate the risk of prepayment customers not redeeming their vouchers and to ensure it reduces the costs of energy for customers in debt.” It is not clear therefore, why Grant Shapps seems surprised at the lack of take-up of the vouchers when he was given clear warnings that this would happen. Citizens Advice also gave a similar warning in their consultation response to the BEIS. Can you advise why the recommendation to use a negative standing charge was not taken up? We face the prospect of an excessive number of people dying in their homes due to the cold this winter. For the reasons set out in this letter, PPM customers are at particularly high risk. Further, unheated homes and the stress caused by financial hardship will have a detrimental impact on people’s physical and mental health and place further pressure on the NHS. In the medium term, I believe the government should be looking at a ‘social tariff’ for vulnerable households. However, for many on PPMs, or under threat of being moved to PPMs, further immediate help is required. I hope you will agree with me that urgent action is needed in this area, in terms of further assistance to PPM households and firm action by the regulator against energy firms who are treating their vulnerable customers so poorly. For information, I was unable to collate figures for the number of households with a PPM within our constituency of NE Bedfordshire, using data from the GOV.UK website I can confirm in 2017 there were 7,515 households in Central Bedfordshire and 6,701 households in Bedford Borough with electricity prepayment meters installed. Due to the importance of this issue please regard this as an open letter. I look forward to your response and will also be happy to discuss the issues in this letter in person or on the phone. Julian Vaughan 8th December 2022 Mr Fuller’s reply sent on 14th December is below, posted with permission. I will point out that the letter makes no reference to the three questions set out in my letter regarding; abolishing standing charges for prepayment meter customers; the need for Ofgem to take enforcement action against the energy companies and why the BEIS committee’s recommendation to use a negative standing charge, rather than the issuing of vouchers to assist non-smart prepay meter customers, was not taken up by the government. Further, the ‘friendly hours’ credit only applies if there is credit on the meter at the start of the friendly hours period. If there is not you are not reconnected during these hours. The hours of friendly credit are 6pm – 11am Monday to Saturday and all day Sunday and bank holidays. In addition, Mr Fuller states that Ofgem has taken action and warned suppliers that Prepayment meters should only be installed as a ‘last resort’. However, the rate of prepayment meter installations has rocketed in the last year. Currently, 20,000 households a month are being moved to PPM meters and there were 187,000 applications for warrants to install a PPM in the first six months of 2022. In addition, 152,000 households had their smart meter switched remotely to prepayment mode in 2022. Some ‘last resort’. Details here: https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/immediate-ban-needed-on-forced-pre-payment-meters/ Finally, Ofgem has statistics for the number of self-disconnections, as they have been collecting them for around a year, but for some reason don’t want to publish them at this time. I believe it is because they are aware that the figures would generate a national scandal. Their evidence on this matter to the BEIS committee is set out below. Mr Fuller’s letter via email received on 14th December. Sources and Further reading Ofgem ‘Self-disconnection and self-rationing – final impact assessment June 2020 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/sites/default/files/docs/2020/10/self-disconnection_and_self-rationing_final_impact_assessment.pdf Energy pricing and the future of the energy market – BEIS Committee July 2022 https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm5803/cmselect/cmbeis/236/report.html Written evidence to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee from Citizens Advice https://committees.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/110095/default/ Citizens Advice response to BEIS’ letter on changes to the Energy Bills Support Scheme https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/about-us/our-work/policy/policy-research-topics/energy-policy-research-and-consultation-responses/energy-consultation-responses/our-response-to-request-for-comments-on-planned-changes-to-the-energy-bills-support-scheme/ Grant Shapps letter to energy company CEOs 4th December 2022 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1121759/Letter_from_Business_and_Energy_Secretary__Grant_Shapps__to_CEOs_of_domestic_energy_suppliers_with_prepayment_meter_customers__2_.pdf Ofgem: Extending protections on prepayment meters installed under warrant: decision December 2020 https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/publications/extending-protections-prepayment-meters-installed-under-warrant-decision End Fuel Poverty Coalition: Immediate ban needed on forced pre-payment meter transfers https://www.endfuelpoverty.org.uk/immediate-ban-needed-on-forced-pre-payment-meters/ Energy UK – The Vulnerability Commitment https://www.energy-uk.org.uk/publication.html?task=file.download&id=7584 Ofgem – Prepayment meters Explained https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/information-consumers/energy-advice-households/check-prepayment-meter-rules Electric prepayment meters by Local Authority https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/electric-prepayment-meter-statistics #UKpolitics #costoflivingcrisis #prepaymentmeters #Bedfordshire #SocialJustice #Politics

The lengthy lead in to Jeremy Hunt’s 17th November Autumn Statement saw the ‘difficult decisions’ and ‘tough choices’ soundbites aired relentlessly across the media. In tandem with these ‘tough but necessary decisions’ warnings, was an eyebrow raising rebranding of the Tories as the Party of ‘compassionate conservatism’. After all the hype, just how well does Hunt’s claim that the steps taken within the Autumn Statement will enable a “stronger and fairer” United Kingdom stand up? This blog sets out the impact of the Autumn Statement on social security payments, discusses the fairness of the tax burden decisions contained within the statement and highlights missed opportunities to create a fairer system. Benefits The uprating of the state pension ‘triple lock’ by the September 2022 CPI rate of 10.1% was not a surprise, as to do anything else would have been political suicide. However, the uprating of benefits to the same figure was a welcome measure, as over the last few weeks there had been little reassurance given in this area. This uprating will result in 10 million working age families and nearly 12 million pensioners benefiting from a 10.1% rise in their benefits and pensions. Benefit Cap There was also a long overdue rise in the benefit cap. This cap was introduced by the Conservative led coalition government in 2013, and justified by claims the cap was required due to “general economic conditions” and “to ensure the overall affordability of the welfare system”. The cap was reduced in 2016 and had been frozen in cash terms from that year. This controversial cap to benefits affected around 130,000 households, the vast majority of these families with children. As a result of the benefit cap, most of these families did not receive the £20 uplift to Universal Credit during the pandemic. The table below shows the cap limits from its introduction in 2013 to April 2023. Benefit Cap 2013Benefit Cap 2016Autumn Statement rise in cap (from April 2023)London£26,000£23,000£25,323Outside of London£26,000£20,000£22,020 Sources: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/autumn-statement-2022-cost-of-living-support-factsheet/cost-of-living-support-factsheet https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/SN06294/SN06294.pdf As you can see from the table above, even with the uprating of the cap in line with CPI inflation announced in the Autumn statement, the cap remains below the level of the 2013 cap in cash terms. The reduction in 2016 (along with an introduction of two tiers) and the subsequent freezing of the cap until April 2023, have resulted in inflation eroding the value of the benefits awarded at the level of the cap. The table below shows what the level of the cap would be if it had been uprated by CPI each year from the lower 2016 level. Benefit Cap 2016Benefit Cap from April 2023Cap if uprated by CPI annually from 2016 to October 2022ShortfallFamilies in London£23,000£25,323£28,835-£5,835Families outside London£20,000£22,020£25,074-£5,074 Source: Bank of England CPI Inflation Calculator https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator According to House of Commons Library research, due to the rise in the cap from April 2023, an additional 45,000 families will avoid being trapped by the cap. However, the benefit cap, along with the pernicious ‘two child limit’ has increased the level and depth of poverty experienced across the UK, particularly among families with children. Hunt talked about how inflation “hurts the poorest most”, but neglected to mention how since 2010, the Tories either froze benefits or limited them to a 1% rise, meaning that the poorest in our society suffered from inflation more than anyone due to the very actions of his government. Child benefit In 2010 child benefit (for the first child) was paid at £20 per week. Due to freezes or a 1% uprating limit, it remained largely static until 2020, rising to £21.80 in 2022/3. It has been announced that from April 2023 child benefit will rise to £24.00 per week. However, if child benefit had been uprated by CPI since 2010, this amount would be £28.23 per week. Free School Meals provision Children of parents who receive Universal Credit are entitled to free school meals provided household income (not including benefits) is less than £7,400 a year after tax. This threshold has been frozen since 2018 and the Child Poverty Action Group estimates that around 800,000 children in poverty do not qualify for free school meals. This threshold was not referred to in Hunt’s Autumn Statement. A briefing note from the ‘Food Foundation on the need to extend free school meal provision can be read here. Social Rent Since 2019 social housing rents have been capped at CPI +1%. With the September 2022 CPI rate of 10.1%, this would have resulted in potential social rent increases of 11.1% from April 2023. In light of this exceptionally high increase which would result in many social renters experiencing financial hardship, the government decided to launch a consultation and suggested three cap levels 3%, 5% and 7%. The government’s preferred option was to set the cap at 5% as in their opinion this would provide a balance between protecting households against an excessive increase in rent and the income of housing associations. The consultation closed on 12th October and at the time of writing (23rd November), the responses to the consultation had not been published. The first page of the government’s Impact Assessment re the proposals for capping social rent. The full Impact Assessment can be read here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1100981/Annex_D_-impact_assessment-_social_housing_rents_consultation.pdf However, it seems that lobbying by housing associations has been successful as Hunt announced that the rent cap for social housing would be set at 7%, the highest of the three options put forward – and going against the government’s preferred option. You can read the views of G15, a group of London’s largest housing associations – and who were against any form of social rent ceiling here. This is yet another example of government heads being turned by corporate lobbyists at the expense of the most vulnerable people in our communities. Energy Price Guarantee The decision by the government to continue with the Energy Price Guarantee (EPG), albeit at a higher level for another 12 months from April 2023 is certainly welcome. However, the rise in the ‘cap’ to £3,000 and the accompanying increase in the price per unit of energy will result in further financial stress for many households. Prepayment meter customers (there are approximately 4.3 million electricity and 3.4 million gas prepayment households in the UK) are particularly vulnerable as they do not have the ability to spread their energy costs over the year. The number of households ‘self disconnecting’ was increasing before the pandemic and is likely to have risen considerably since the recent hike in energy prices. Longer term solutions will need to be found, both in terms of cost of living support and better insulated homes reducing energy demand. Overall with a number of caveats, the government has a good record on the former – and a dreadful record on the latter. I understand that in the longer term, beyond the EPG currently due to end in April 2024, the government is looking at ‘social tariffs’ for vulnerable households. One quick fix would be to abolish standing charges for prepayment customers. These charges, currently capped at 37p a day for electricity and 51p a day for gas customers result in credit steadily seeping away no matter how frugal the customer is and, in what is a real kick in the teeth to those in financial hardship, continue to apply even when the customer has self disconnected. FuelEnergy Price Guarantee rates from 1st October 2022Standing charge per yearGasStanding charge 37.51p per day£137ElectricityStanding Charge 51.41p per day£188 Source: https://www.moneysavingexpert.com/utilities/what-are-the-price-cap-unit-rates-/#prepayment Disturbingly, there is recent evidence that energy suppliers have been treating prepayment customers very poorly, including switching smart meters to prepayment mode without notice (Ofgem’s Standards of Conduct stipulate 7 days’ notice is required) and vulnerable customers being cut off. This shocking behaviour has taken place in spite of previous guidance issued to the energy suppliers by Ofgem regarding their approach to prepayment customers. It is disappointing that Ofgem, the independent energy regulator, whose responsibilities include ensuring fair treatment for all consumers, continues to let energy suppliers off the hook. It is time we had an energy regulator that truly stood up for energy consumers, rather than championing the interests of the energy suppliers. National Living Wage The increase in both the National Living Wage (for those 23+) and the National Minimum Wage (for those 16+) was another welcome move from the Chancellor, finally breaking the £10 an hour barrier. National Living/Minimum Wage rates (current and from April 2023) Source: https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates However, as the table above shows, there is a significant variation in the hourly rate dependent upon age, which inevitably leads to cases of younger employees getting paid less for carrying out exactly the same job. This goes against any sense of fairness or justice, surely a mainstay of Tory compassionate conservatism. The Trade Union Congress is campaigning for £15 a hour minimum wage and are calling for all workers, regardless of age, to be eligible for the same minimum wage. On the same principle of equal pay for equal work, if you are old enough to work, then surely you should have a right to vote on how the workplace is impacted by government. It is time to follow the lead of Scotland and Wales and give 16 year olds the vote. Taxation The freezing of the tax thresholds, known as ‘fiscal drag’ or ‘stealth tax’ in day to day language will raise significant revenue for the government. Politically it is popular as it does not involve any raising of the tax rates, but as wages increase, more people either start paying tax for the first time as they exceed the personal allowance, or enter a higher rate tax bracket. Tax as a share of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is forecast to increase above 37%, the highest level since the 1940s. The outlook on living standards is dire with the next two years seeing the biggest fall in disposable income in generations. Lowering the 45p threshold The lowering of the 45p rate threshold (what a change from the days of Truss and Kwarteng) to £125,400 (from £150,000) sounds like a progressive tax, where those with the broadest shoulders take on the greatest burden until you realise that this will result in the same flat rate increase of £1,250 for those earning £150,000 or £1.5 million. The government does not expect a significant increase in revenue from this change, significantly less than £1 billion a year, but again politically, it does have the advantage of not being seen as a tax rise. Capital Gains Tax It is a similar story with the Chancellor’s reductions in the annual exempt amounts for capital gains, reducing from £12,300 currently, to £6,000 in 2034 and £3,000 in 2024. The rate of Capital Gains Tax paid is 10% for basic rate taxpayers and 20% for higher rate taxpayers. As the rates of CGT are not changing, just the thresholds, there is a relatively small increase in the tax liability, even for higher rate tax payers. For example from 2024 a higher rate tax payer would face a maximum extra charge of £1,860 compared to the amount payable today. In simple terms, the subject can be researched in detail here, the differential between the tax on income and the tax on capital gains encourages rich individuals to game the system and declare their income as capital gains and thus pay a substantially lower rate of tax on that income. A far more progressive policy would have been to align the CGT and income tax rates. This alignment of the rates, which would clearly impact the most wealthy tax payers in the UK, was proposed by the Office of Tax Simplification. Of course, I am sure the two events are not connected, but it should be noted that the ill-fated Truss/Kwarteng ‘Growth Plan’ of September 2022 announced that the Office of Tax Simplification would be abolished. Hunt has not reversed this decision. It seems that those who suggest a fairer tax system pay a heavy price. National Insurance Upper Earnings threshold While, as with income tax, the National Insurance thresholds were frozen there still remains the substantial reduction in the National Insurance rate from 12% to 2% at the Upper Earnings Limit threshold set at £50,284. This is a significant tax break for the most well off in the UK and means that the richest tax payers are contributing a significantly smaller percentage of their income on National Insurance than those on lower incomes. Bank Surcharge This is an additional tax levied on the profits of banks on top of Corporation Tax. Currently, Corporation Tax is at 19% and the Bank Surcharge is set at 8% – a combined rate of 27%. When he was Chancellor, Rishi Sunak had set out in the Spring 2022 budget a plan to increase Corporation Tax to 25% in April 2023 and reduce the Bank Surcharge to 3% – an effective combined rate of 28%. Hunt ditched the shortlived Truss/Kwarteng plan to maintain the 19% rate of corporation tax. However, he had the option to maintain the Surcharge at 8% leading to an effective combined rate of 33% but chose to reduce the rate to 3%, aligning with Sunak’s previous decision, a net increase in the bank surcharge of just 1%. Along with the abolishment of the cap on bankers’ bonuses, the favourable treatment towards the banks (the surcharge allowance has been increased from £25 to £100 million) suggests a budget geared to benefit bankers rather than those struggling just to get by. Fossil Fuel extraction tax break While the levy on the oil and gas sector has been increased by 10% and extended to 2028, the gaping loophole of the super deduction for investment in oil and gas extraction remains. Conclusion While there have inflation linked rises to benefits that will certainly benefit the poorest in the UK, this should be viewed on the back of a sustained reduction in the value of those benefits in the preceding 12 years of a Conservative-led government. High inflation levels, which disproportionally impact poorer households, mean that the inflation linked rise in benefits will result in poorer people continuing to tread water, rather than being hauled out of poverty. Hunt may spin his measures on benefits as compassionate conservatism, but I would argue that his compassion extends to the most wealthy in our society, rather than to the most vulnerable. It is the measures that were not adopted in Hunt’s Autumn Statement that show where the government’s priorities are. There were no measures to tackle tax avoidance by ‘non doms’; no change on the charitable status of private schools; no change in the dividend tax rates to align with income tax rates; no mention of a financial transaction tax. While we will all pay more taxes in the coming years and experience a reduction in living standards not experienced since the late 1940s, the wealthiest individuals and corporations will barely feel a ripple. The need for a wealth tax has never been greater. Julian Vaughan 24th November 2022 Sources and further reading: Wealth tax Commission: A Wealth tax for the UK https://warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/research/centres/cage/news/a-wealth-tax-for-the-uk.pdf Autumn Statement 2022: Policy Costings https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118364/Autumn_Statement_2022_Policy_Costings_.pdf The Institute for Fiscal Studies: Autumn Statement response https://ifs.org.uk/articles/autumn-statement-2022-response Votes at 16 All Party Parliamentary Group Report 2019 https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/3cfd42_0b5279727e6c4f5b9b32c8b88b873f90.pdf Energy (Oil and Gas) Profits Levy – 21st November https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/changes-to-the-energy-oil-and-gas-profits-levy/energy-oil-and-gas-profits-levy Rent Cap on Social Housing Consultation Announcement: August 2022 https://www.gov.uk/government/news/rent-cap-on-social-housing-to-protect-millions-of-tenants-from-rising-cost-of-living #AutumnStatement #Politics #UKpolitics #wealthtax

Yesterday afternoon, representatives from Bedfordshire Rail Access Network (BRAN) met with Network Rail, Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR), Richard Fuller MP and Biggleswade Town Council officers to discuss the progress towards step-free access at the station and the long-awaited toilet facilities. The main points discussed at today’s meeting are set out below. If you have any questions feel free to get in touch with us at: bedsrailaccessnetwork@gmail.com Stairs on the new bridge back in scope To provide a step-free route to both platforms a new bridge is to be built at the station. The current bridge will remain. This new bridge will include lifts to both platforms. The draft design included stairs from both platforms so that this new bridge could be accessed via the lifts or the stairs. Over the Summer, Network Rail told us that due to budget constraints they were removing the stairs from the scope of the design. We were told this would save them around £500,000. The BRAN team raised objections to this on a number of grounds including the poor state of the current steps, safety concerns around the number of passengers gathering at the bottom of the steps in peak hours, and the lost opportunity to ‘future proof’ the station for the increased passenger numbers in the years ahead. We are pleased to say that Network Rail has taken our concerns on board and agreed to retain these stairs within the design of the new bridge. A diagram (from an early draft design) showing the location of the new bridge and lifts. The current bridge can be seen at the top. The car park is shown in blue Timeline slips for step-free access Inevitably, as a result of the discussions around these stairs, the timeline has slipped. We currently do not have a date for when the lifts will be entered into service – other than it will be before the end of March 2024. This is obviously disappointing, but all parties felt it was worth pushing for the stairs to be retained in the design for the reasons mentioned above. Further reasons for the delay are the need to gain authority for the increase in expenditure, completion of the design plans for the stairs and the need for the amended project to go through the various hoops required by Network Rail governance processes. Our next meeting is in early February 2023 and we are likely to be given an indication of the revised timeline at that meeting. For information, from when the first shovel is in the ground, it will be around 10 months until the completion of the project. It was confirmed that the delay to the step-free project at the station would have no impact on the completion date of the bus interchange currently under construction. Toilets at the station There will, at long last, be toilets provided at the station. This will comprise a toilet block containing a male toilet, a female toilet, and an accessible toilet. This is on course to be completed at the same time as the bus interchange which is due to be ready by April 2023. The location of the toilet block will be to the right of the taxi office as you look at the station from the road. The site of the toilet block will include an accessible toilet, with a baby changing facility, a female toilet, and a male toilet Bus Interchange We didn’t get any further update in person on this today, but believe there has been no change to the estimated opening date of April 2023. If you have walked past there recently you will have seen that a great deal of work has already taken place. We are aware that the current bus service provision is poor and doesn’t seem to link up with the rail services from the station. We will be pressing for greater liaison between the bus and rail companies to match up services so that bus services become a valid option for commuters. Staffing levels at the station At the last couple of meetings, and again today, we asked what the proposed staffing levels would be at the train station once the lifts come into operation. We have been asking this as there is a potential for the lifts and/or the toilets to be closed during the times there are no staff present at the station. Unfortunately, we were not given any answers on this other than it has yet to be agreed upon and we were not given an indication of when a decision will be made. It is currently the general practice on GTR stations to close the toilets when the station is unstaffed. Currently, Biggleswade station is staffed during the following hours: Monday to Friday06.20 to 14.15 and then 16.00 to 20.00Saturday08.00 to 14.15Sunday08.15 to 14.15 The representatives from BRAN set out in the strongest terms why it is essential for both the lifts and the toilets to be open from the first train until the last train. Disabled people, people with mobility issues and parents with young children should be able to travel independently and spontaneously without having to book assistance. It is disappointing that the concept of a fully staffed railway seems further away than ever. GTR agreed to get back to us as soon as possible on this issue. Summary Overall, a bit of a mixed bag but we can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel. By the time we next meet up in early February, the bus interchange should nearly be finished and work should have started on the toilet block. The delay to the step-free access is disappointing, but this is a one-time opportunity to future-proof the station. Once again, many thanks to my BRAN colleagues Fiona and Paul for their guidance and for ensuring that the views of disabled people have been heard throughout the process. Julian Vaughan Chair Bedfordshire Rail Access Network Previous updates: http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/07/15/biggleswade-station-update-15th-july/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2022/05/09/biggleswade-station-update-9th-may/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2021/05/11/biggleswade-transport-hub-11th-may-update/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2021/01/18/biggleswade-step-free-update-18th-january-2021/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2020/06/29/biggleswade-step-free-update-29th-june/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2020/04/11/step-free-access-one-step-closer-at-biggleswade/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2020/04/07/biggleswade-step-free-update/ http://julianvaughan.blog/2020/03/09/biggleswade-access-improvements-hit-the-buffers/ #stepfreeaccess #accessibility #Bedfordshire #publictransport #railways

With the ‘Energy Price Guarantee’ (EPG) scheme now due to end on 31st March 2023, an energy price shock looms for many this coming Spring. Jeremy Hunt’s Fiscal Statement on the 17th of October advised that a Treasury-led review will be launched to consider how to support households and their businesses with energy bills from April 2023 onwards, with the review to “design a new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned whilst ensuring enough support for those in need.” According to the House of Commons Library’s ‘Background to Autumn Statement 2022, published on the 11th of November, it is not certain whether the outcome of this Treasury-led review will form a part of the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement on the 17th of November. Energy price cap rises since 2021 The scale of the energy price rise has been staggering. Less than 2 years ago the price cap (not a cap as such, but the maximum amount that energy suppliers can charge per kWh of energy) was set at £1,138 per year. The government’s Energy Price Guarantee has fixed the current price cap at £2,500 until 31st March 2023. FuelCapped rate per kWh – April 2021Capped rate per kWh via EPG – October 2022 to March 2023Electricity19p 34pGas3p10p What will happen in April 2023? Jeremy Hunt has said he will prioritise the needs of the most vulnerable, but it is not yet clear who will be protected from the eye-watering energy prices, how this protection will be enacted, and as mentioned above when this help will be announced. Cornwall Insight, an energy consultancy firm, currently predicts that the energy cap for the period April to June 2023 will be £3,702 (a drop of £600 from their previous forecast) and the cap will remain around the £3,150 level for the rest of 2023. This predicted drop is due to a recent fall in wholesale gas prices yet to impact household bills due to energy companies buying their energy in advance. Obviously, £3,702 is a substantial increase on the current £2,500 cap and while the rise will happen at a time when people may be starting to turn off their central heating, will still be a crippling financial hit for many. Below are the Cornwall Insight forecasts for the price per kWh of energy for the April to June 2023 period. *For reference, Ofgem (the government energy regulator) will base its April to June 2023 price cap on wholesale gas prices between 17th November and 17th February 2023. FuelCapped rate per kWh forecast April 2023 to June 2023 (Cornwall Insight Forecast 3rd November 2022Electricity59pGas15p Should the forecast prove to be correct it will result in households paying 5 times more for their gas and 3 times more for their electricity than they did just two years ago. Without ongoing support, this situation will not be sustainable for many households across the UK. The rise in the cap will also coincide with the end of the ‘Energy Bills Support Scheme’ which was in addition to the price cap and provided all households with £400 of support applied in the form of discounts to bills between October and March. MonthDiscount Applied to Energy BillOctober 2022£66November£66December£67January 2023£67February£67March£67 Who will be protected? Again, this has not yet been decided, but as the government intends to design a “new approach that will cost the taxpayer significantly less than planned” it is likely to mean that only the most vulnerable households will be shielded from the increase in energy prices come April. It should be said there is a potential benefit in holding off from making a decision, as a further decrease in wholesale gas prices could result in a broader package being offered due to a reduction in the cost of implementing the measures. If the government is to target support, apart from providing it to those on means-tested benefits and other welfare benefits, I believe that those who pay for their energy via a Prepayment meter must also receive financial assistance. By definition, these are financially vulnerable households who in many cases have been forced to move to a prepayment meter (or have their smart meter changed to prepay mode) due to falling behind on their energy bills. Over 4 million households in the UK pay for their energy in advance via prepayment meter and the number is on the rise Prepayment Meters There are approximately 4 million households in the UK that pay for their energy via prepayment meter. Unlike customers who pay via direct debit, prepayment customers don’t have the option of spreading their energy costs evenly throughout the year and this results in these households being at particular risk of financial hardship during the winter months. Disgracefully, for many years these most financially vulnerable households paid a higher rate for their energy than the richest households in the country. While this injustice has only very recently been remedied, many face the worry of what the energy companies, like it’s some sort of lifestyle choice term ‘self-disconnection’ due to not being able to top up on credit. Further, the number of people being forced into prepaying for their energy has increased significantly over the last year. In some cases, they have been switched without their knowledge, by remotely changing the smart meter to prepay mode. Citizens Advice estimate that an additional 450,000 households could be made to pay for their energy with a prepayment meter by the end of 2022. It is entirely right that the most vulnerable in our communities should be the first to receive support. However, due to the sheer scale of the energy price rises, it does lead to the potential for those households not in receipt of benefits to be placed in financial difficulties and a cliff edge in financial terms between those receiving benefits and those that do not. How to fix the energy crisis There are few quick fixes to the energy crisis we face, but there have been a number of missed opportunities by the current government which would have reduced the extent of the problem. The UK has some of the least energy efficient housing in Europe, but the Conservative government abandoned the ‘zero carbon homes’ policy in July 2015. Since 2016, over one million houses have been built which would have benefitted from that policy1. It’s disgraceful that one of the largest housebuilders in the country actually lobbied the government to abandon the zero-carbon homes policy. Excerpt from the House of Commons BEIS Committee report ‘Energy Efficiency: building towards net zero’ July 2019 It remains a risk that further lobbying by housebuilders results in the watering down of the standards contained in the ‘Future Homes and Buildings Standard’ due to come into effect in 2025. The lack of enforcement and incentives for domestic renewable energy generation and storage has also been a missed opportunity. Smart battery storage acts like mini power stations, exporting to the grid during times of peak demand, yet it is only very recently that the government abolished the VAT on solar panels and battery storage. On a positive note, ‘Part L’ building regulations that came into force on the 15th of June this year mean that new homes are required to produce at least 31% fewer carbon emissions and this should promote an increase in solar panel installation on domestic properties. However, it remains that the majority of current homes across the UK will require retrofitting to meet zero carbon emission targets. Domestic solar panels and smart battery storage reduce the demand on the UK energy supply grid The benefits of energy efficient homes Energy-efficient homes bring multiple benefits as set out in the bullet points below: • Energy savings: total energy use could be reduced by an estimated 25 percent by 2035 through cost-effective investments in energy efficiency and low carbon heat—equivalent to the annual output of six Hinkley Point Cs • Cutting energy bills: Energy efficiency measures have already saved households around £290 per year since 2008.27 Reducing total energy use by 25 percent by 2035 would result in average energy savings for consumers of roughly £270 per household per year. • Jobs: Similar scenarios suggest that between 66,000 to 86,000 new jobs could be sustained annually across all UK regions. • Economic Growth: This ‘cost-effective’ approach would require an estimated £85.2 billion investment but would deliver benefits (reduced energy use, reduced carbon emissions improved air quality and comfort) totalling £92.7 billion—a net present value of £7.5 billion. • Optimises infrastructure investment: Energy efficiency can prevent expensive investments in generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure and reduce reliance on fuel imports—with a present value of avoided electricity network investment of £4.3 billion. • Competitiveness: The UK is a net exporter of insulation and energy efficiency retrofit goods and services. • NHS savings: Reduced NHS costs of roughly £1.4 billion each year in England alone. The health service is estimated to save £0.42 for every £1 spent on retrofitting fuel-poor homes. • Air quality: The present value of avoided harm to health is calculated at £4.1 billion in accordance with HM Treasury guidance. Conclusions Hunt and Sunak have talked of ‘eye wateringly difficult’ decisions that lie ahead and have prepped us for both tax rises and spending cuts. Now, this could be expectation management and the reality will not be as bad as what has been relentlessly portrayed in the media. However, it may also be an opportunity to justify public spending cuts and to cut costs across some areas of our welfare system. I suspect the devil will be in the detail, as the headlines will want to highlight their newfound ‘compassionate conservatism’. I have set out an alternative to the cuts in a previous blog here, which discusses the pressing need for a ‘wealth tax’. As we are currently experiencing an unseasonably mild November, the impact of the doubling of energy prices since last winter has yet to kick in for many. When the cold weather does arrive, those paying by direct debit, me included, will feel no immediate impact. This is not the case for the millions of households paying for their energy in advance, for whom winter will arrive very suddenly with an instant financial hit. We will shortly find out if the Chancellor’s actions match his promises of protecting the most vulnerable in our communities. Julian Vaughan 12th November 2022 Sources and further reading: Wholesale UK Gas Price Charts: https://tradingeconomics.com/commodity/uk-natural-gas Cornwall Insight: predicted fall in April 2024 Price Cap: https://www.cornwall-insight.com/predicted-fall-in-the-april-2023-price-cap-but-prices-remain-significantly-above-the-epg/ Jeremy Hunt Fiscal Statement 17th October 2022: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/chancellor-brings-forward-further-medium-term-fiscal-plan-measures The Conversation ‘The UK has some of the least energy-efficient housing in Europe’: https://theconversation.com/the-uk-has-some-of-the-least-energy-efficient-housing-in-europe-heres-how-to-fix-this-151609 Author: “It’s time to end the Prepayment rip-off” November 2020 House of Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee ‘Energy Efficiency: building towards net zero’ July 2019: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmbeis/1730/1730.pdf #homeinsulation #UKpolitics #zerocarbonhomes #renewableenergy #solarpanels #SocialJustice #Politics #domesticenergyprices #fuelpoverty #energypricecap #costofliving