No Customer Assistants At Manningtree

National Express East Anglia have taken away the Customer Assistants at Manningtree station in a somewhat surprising, not to say disappointing move.  These Assistants were employed after the December timetable changes principally to help passengers through the subway because of the need to change trains for the Harwich branch.  This can only be taken as another cost cutting move by NXEA and begs the question were the Customer Assistants ever a permanent fixture or simply a temporary gesture to placate angry passengers?