AM calls for BT to back down on payphone closure

9.00.00pm GMT Thu 10th Jul 2008

In response to BT's payphone closure plans Kirsty Williams AM for Brecon & Radnorshire has tabled a statement of opinion in the Assembly, calling for BT to rethink its damaging plans.

BT is undertaking a two strand programme of closure: one which will remove payphones where there is another within 400m and one which will consult on the closure of 190 payphones in Powys, 94 of which are in Brecon and Radnorshire, which BT claim are 'little used'.

Kirsty Williams commented: "BT must consider the removal of phone boxes on public safety grounds and not purely on usage and economic viability.

"In the last 12 months BT made profits of over £2.5bn. I cannot believe that they are looking to cut so many payphones across Wales with profits like these and with their obligation to provide a universal public payphone service.

"Phone boxes in isolated areas may be used infrequently but their availability can be a lifeline in emergency situations. Not everyone has a mobile phone and there is poor coverage in many rural areas, aside from the fact that batteries can loose their charge where ever you are. If someone has broken down in their car or suffered an accident whilst out walking or cycling they may need access to a payphone to call for help.

"In urban areas as well as rural, payphones provide essential access to child line and domestic abuse lines.

"Even if they are only used once or twice a week payphones still have the potential to save lives. BT has an obligation to maintain a network of pay phones on the grounds of public safety and social inclusion not on economic viability."

Notes:

The statement of opinion reads:

OPIN-2008- 0056 - BT Payphone Closure Plan

This Assembly Notes:

that mobile phone signals in rural areas can be unavailable and intermittent and that mobile phone batteries can loose their charge, and therefore there is still a role for phone boxes especially in emergency situations.

that in both rural and urban areas many calls to Childline and domestic abuse helplines are made from payphones.

BT has an obligation to provide a universal public payphone service.

Therefore in the interests of public safety this Assembly calls upon British Telecom to re-think its current plans to axe pay-phones across Wales

Kirsty has also set up an online petition: http://kirstywilliams.org.uk/petitions/

The petition reads: We the undersigned recognise that mobile phone signals in rural areas can be poor, and therefore there is still a role for phone boxes especially in emergency situations. That many calls to Childline and domestic abuse helplines are made from payphones. We therefore call upon British Telecom to re-think its plans to remove 94 telephone boxes from Brecon and Radnorshire.

There are 4,324 telephone kiosks in Wales. BT is planning to axe 281 pay-phones across Wales where there is another one located within 400 metres. The company is also consulting on the removal of a further 805 payphones as part of a proposed cull of 10,000 boxes across the UK.