SEVERN TOLLS TO END ON DECEMBER 17
TOLLS on the two Severn bridges will be scrapped in time for Christmas, Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns has confirmed.
Addressing the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, Mr Cairns said tolls on the two motorway bridges linking Wales and England will be abolished on December 17, in a move which he described as being an “early Christmas present.”
The bridges currently carry some 25 million motorists a year.
The date is slightly ahead of schedule. Mr Cairns announced last year that tolls would be scrapped by the end of this year, which would have meant December 31.
The move will end 50 years of tolls since the first Severn Bridge opened, which was followed by the Second Severn Crossing, recently named the Prince of Wales Bridge, in 1996.
The move will save commuters using the bridges daily up to £1,400 a year in tolls.
In January tolls were reduced to £5.60 for motorists and for large lorries and coaches to £16.70.
Mr Cairns said it would also act as a stimulus to encourage greater economic and business collaboration between south Wales and the south west of England, as he steps up efforts to help create a new crossborder “economic powerhouse” to rival the Northern Powerhouse.
It is estimated that the move will provide an immediate boost to the Welsh economy of £100m a year.
However, it is expected to lead to a significant rise in motorists, including freight related, using the bridges and the M4 on both sides of the border.
Mr Cairns has repeatedly called on the Welsh Government to press ahead with the proposed £1.3bn M4 Relief Road south of Newport to help alleviate growing congestion issues on the existing and ageing motorway in south Wales, particularly around the Brynglas Tunnels.
Mr Cairns said: “My number-one aim when I became Secretary of State for Wales was to do away with tolling that for half a century has restricted and distorted the growth and connections of the Welsh economy.
“Wales will be more open for business than ever after the Conservatives deliver on this commitment. Scrapping tolls before the festive period is an early Christmas present for hard-working commuters, who will be £1,400 per year better off. “This is just the start of my plan to pursue yet more growth for a stronger and a better-connected Wales.
“Scrapping the Severn tolls is an example of the Conservatives ensuring that all four nations of the UK thrive after Brexit, in doing so, transforming the joint economic prospects of south Wales and the west of England.
“The Conservative UK government is committed to providing opportunity for all – a stronger, fairer United Kingdom with real opportunity for people who work hard and do the right thing.
“This direct intervention will guarantee that links are strengthened and enhanced between the natural economic areas of south Wales and the west of England.”
Prime Minister Theresa May said: “By abolishing tolls for 25 million annual journeys between two nations the Conservatives are sending a positive, open-for-business message.
“Toll-free, free-flow journeys between both communities will drive further economic benefits to all areas surrounding the crossings and the key economic centres in Cardiff, Bath, Bristol, Newport and across to Swansea and west Wales.
“By removing a major added cost of doing business between Wales and England, the Conservatives continue to deliver on improving the economic prospects of working people. With this major step we are encouraging a close bond between two nations as part of the United Kingdom, whilst driving economic growth right across the country.”