Queen replies to tolls protestors
● regarding the cost to drivers of using the newly-opened Mersey Gateway bridge.
“I should explain, however, that this is not a matter on which the Queen would personally comment on, nor one in which Her Majesty would intervene. As a constitutional Sovereign the Queen acts on the advice of her ministers and therefore it is to them or to your local Member of Parliament that such an appeal should be addressed.
“Nevertheless, it was thoughtful of you to wish to make Her Majesty aware of your feelings.”
A spokesperson for the group who wrote the initial letter shared the reply on Facebook and said: “I know that The Queen doesn’t “intervene”, but was happy to receive such a courteous response. Hopefully it has highlighted our dilemma a little more in general.”
The Queen’s reply comes ahead of another protest against Merseyflow following a landmark ruling that the tolls were in breach of the Transport Act 2000.
In May, the Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT), ruled the £2 tolls were not legally enforceable because Halton Council, the charging authority, had not specified the price of the tolls clearly in their Road User Charging Scheme Order (RUCSO),
That RUCSO was superseded on April 19, but hundreds of angry motorists have continued to demand refunds for tolls paid before that date.
This Saturday they will be hand delivering requests for refunds at the Merseyflow Walk-in Centre and staging a protest outside the building.
Halton council say that they are still seeking legal advice on the TPT’s decision and are not in a position to agree to refunds at this stage.
The Queen and Duchess Of Sussex Meghan Markle unveiled a plaque at the opening in Widnes on June 14.