Public Transport is a crucial necessity to many residents of the Sevenoaks area. With such a large number of us working in London, the requirement for quick, reliable and fairly priced train travel into the City is high.

Currently, Sevenoaks residents are unfairly caught just outside of Zone 6 of the London travel pass area. The system only extends down as far as Knockholt but to the North, East and West of London to a Zone 7, 8 and even 9.

An annual Zone 1-7 Oyster travelcard is £2,544. On Southeastern, an annual ticket from Sevenoaks to Charing Cross is £3,288 or £3,944 if covering TFL services too. That's a difference of up to £1,400. This money could be better spent by Sevenoaks commuters on housing, utilities and spending in local shops and restaurants.

Having Oyster would also make it easier and cheaper for Londoners to visit local attractions such as Knole House - bringing new sources of revenue to local pubs & restaurants. A Z1-7 single on TFL is only £4 off peak while a Southeastern single is £11.50. That's a staggering £7.50 difference for an equivalent journey (Charing Cross to Watford Junction takes about 35 minutes, about the same as Charing Cross to Sevenoaks).

We call on the individuals and organisations mentioned to work together for the benefit of commuters, voters and the local economy to bring Oyster to Sevenoaks (including Dunton Green and Bat & Ball).