A Kenilworth councillor has criticised West Midlands Railway and Warwickshire County Council after it was announced that the ticket office at Kenilworth station is set to close later this year.

The office is set to close after the current manager Tony Freakley decided to end his contract with WMR.

The service, which is still partly a bus replacement, will continue to operate through Kenilworth.

Speaking to Kenilworth Nub News, town and district Councillor Richard Dickson said: "Questions have to be asked of both West Midlands Railways and the County Council about what was and what should be going forward the business development plan for the station and the ticket office.

"Encouraging people to use the train should be a vital part of both our response to the climate change emergency and to boosting the local tourist economy."

WMR has said that it is fully committed to improving the service through Kenilworth, however criticisms have been made of the operator since before the pandemic.

Cllr Dickson continued: "Reinstating the train service in Kenilworth in 2018 was the biggest ever capital investment in the town at the time. So it's a huge pity that for a variety of reasons the retail operation has struggled, even before the pandemic."

A recovery group, formed of local residents, businesses and councillors, has already been set up to help design a plan for improving the station's service.

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