Yahoo News Date set for Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry toll rises
A formal application to increase the tolls for the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry has been submitted to the Government. Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council, who jointly operate the crossings, want to increase the tolls by 15% to £3 for cars, with a 50% discount for tag holders.
The operators say the request to increase tolls has been made to address a financial shortfall and provide the funding needed to maintain service levels on the crossings. The councils had deferred submitting the request for 55 days to give ministers time to respond to the letter of Sheryll Murray asking for Government funding of the crossings. If funding was forthcoming, delay would have given the local councils the ability to amend or not proceed with the toll revisions.
But they say no response has been received therefore members of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee have submitted the application to revise tolls to the Secretary of State for Transport, Mark Harper. If approved by the minister, the application will mean a cash toll of £3 for cars.
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The discounts for pre-paid crossings using the TamarTag scheme will continue to be 50% of the full toll, resulting in a tag toll for cars and vans of £1.50. Tolls for other vehicles will broadly increase pro rata. The councils have requested increases are applied on or prior to November 1 this year.
Anyone who wishes to object to the toll increases should write to Sandra Zamenzadeh, NTCT Casework Manager, National Transport Casework Team Newcastle, Tyneside House, Skinnerburn Road, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 7AR, or by email to nationalcasework@dft.gov.uk by Friday June 14, stating the grounds for objection. Copies of the objection should also be sent to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee at tolls@tamarcrossings.org.uk or by post to the Torpoint Ferry Office, 2 Ferry Street, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2AX.
The Secretary of State for Transport will consider the application and objections before deciding to approve the application, reject it or to hold a public inquiry. In the meantime, members of the Joint Committee say they will continue to lobby the Government to provide funding for the crossings and work with the community, business and stakeholders to shape the future of the crossings through its Tamar 2050 plan.
The formal submission comes despite a petition, organised by Conservative MPs Johnny Mercer and Sheryll Murray, calling for the latest toll rises to be scrapped. The petition had been signed by 6,300 people and handed to the Government.
Ms Murray said she and Johnny Mercer, MP for Plymouth Moor View, considered the tolls to be an “extra tax” on their constituents. She has called on the Department for Transport to provide annual funding towards the bridge’s maintenance costs so the tolls can be frozen at their current level.
Meanwhile Labour has said an unfunded freezing of the tolls could lead to cuts to the Torpoint Ferries. Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport, said: “No one wants to pay tolls, but we all understand this pays for a safe, efficient ferry and bridge. A toll freeze without Government money to pay for it would mean a £1 million cut to the budget of the bridge and ferry.”
