Cornish Guardian (Bodmin & East Cornwall)
Labour MP says unfunded freeze on Tamar tolls would force one ferry to be axed
UNFUNDED freezes to tolls for the Tamar crossings would force operators into cutting one of the three Torpoint ferries from service, the Labour Party has claimed.
Conservative MPs Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) and Johnny Mercer (Plymouth Moor View) have started a campaign which aims to freeze the tolls, which are this year rising to £3 for cars, or £1.50 with a prepaid Tamar Tag.
They blame mismanagement of the crossings for the need to raise the tolls.
Ms Murray presented a petition, which she said had been signed by 6,300 people, to the House of Commons on April 23.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not promised money from central government, which would enable the freeze, despite being challenged on the issue at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Plymouth Labour say without funding the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee, the crossings’ governing body, would be forced to remove one of the three ferries from service to save money.
The Tories accuse the joint committee of wasting money, including milllions spent on building new offices.
Labour claim an analysis of the committee’s business plan shows a £1.19 million deficit in the budget for the Tamar crossings by the end of 2025-26, if the tolls do not increase in November this year.
Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council are liable to meet any budget deficit for the Tamar crossings, but both have previously said they cannot afford to cut local budgets any further to cover the shortfall.
Instead, Labour say limiting rises in
Tamar Tag fees would alleviate the burden on local residents.
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.
“I worry that to balance the books there would be no other choice than to remove one of the three Torpoint ferries.”
Under current plans, the toll for the Tamar crossings is due to rise annually from £16.32 million to £18.76 million – an increase of £2.44 million.
The committee says the rises are designed to allow three ferries and the bridge to continue operating at a time when costs have increased due to inflation and the sharply rising prices of fuel and materials.
In a joint statement, Mr Mercer and Ms Murray said: “We are campaigning to stop the toll hike for the simple reason that we do not believe the cost for the bridge’s mismanagement should be passed on to consumers. There have been a number of questionable capital projects undertaken by the joint committee, most notably the construction of clearly unaffordable new offices.
“This is a position which more than 6,300 local residents have put their name to by signing our petition. We had hoped that this strength of opinion would lead to a local cross-party effort to freeze the tolls in 2024. Labour have instead chosen to side with the joint committee over commuters, with their knee-jerk reaction.
“Their endorsement of hiking tolls from £2.60 to £3 will hit commuters in the pocket and absolve the joint committee of any responsibility.”