A COTSWOLD county councillor is "delighted" with the government's decision to U-turn on the closure of railway ticket offices. 

Hundreds of ticket offices across the UK were set to close, but on Tuesday, (October 31), the government announced a U-turn.

Earlier this year, Liberal Democrat councillors in the North Cotswolds launched a petition to save the ticket office in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Cllr Paul Hodgkinson, Gloucestershire County councillor for Bourton-on-the-Water and Northleach, said hundreds of people signed the petition.

He said: "I’m delighted that the Government has u-turned on this issue and is saving our rail ticket offices from closure.

"Hundreds of people signed my petition to keep Moreton in Marsh ticket office open and I’d like to thank them for their support.

‘In September councillors at Cotswold District Council backed my call for the ticket offices at Kemble, Kingham and Moreton to be saved.

"I’m sure all this has had an impact. Many of us really value the human contact which rail ticket offices give – this reprieve is a great example of people power in action.”

Transport secretary Mark Harper said train operators have been asked to withdraw the proposals as they “do not meet the high thresholds set by ministers”.

Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for The Cotswolds, said he received a considerable number of objections from constituents to this proposal and "lobbied the government hard" to abandon it.

He said: "This proposal was clearly unpopular with a large number of rail users. Many MP’s including myself lobbied the government to abandon these plans and I therefore warmly welcome this outcome.”

In July this year, industry body the Rail Delivery Group (RDG) unveiled the original proposals which could have led to nearly all offices being shut, with facilities only remaining open at the busiest stations.

The original decision was taken following pressure from the government to cut costs amid the drop in revenue caused by the coronavirus pandemic.