WARRINGTON South MP Faisal Rashid has won a meeting with Transport Minister Jesse Norman on the vexed questions of tolls on the new Mersey Gateway bridges at Halton.
Mr Rashid questioned the minister in Parliament, on whether he thought it was reasonable that his constituents should be expected to pay up to £1,000 per year for the use of the Halton bridges, to complete daily activities such as travelling to work or attending hospital appointments.
He also also asked whether the Minister would honour the former Chancellor’s 2015 commitment, that Warrington Residents would be exempt from the tolls and requested, again, that the Minister agreed to a meeting in which the issues could be discussed.
Although the Minister denied any previous knowledge of a meeting request, he agreed to arrange a meeting with Mr Rashid in the coming weeks.
Afterwards, Mr Rashid said: “I was disappointed that the Minister claimed to be unaware of any previous meeting requests, and I have written to him asking for a Ministerial Correction to be made on this matter.
“However, I was pleased that in his response the Minister finally agreed to a meeting with myself and representatives from the local community
“I look forward to discussing the issues around the Runcorn and Jubilee Bridges with the Minister, and working to get a better deal for residents in Warrington South.
“We have already seen a significant increase in traffic since the bridge opened, and I will continue to press this issue until it is resolved.
“I believe that it should be the Government that funds this type of infrastructure, rather than turning to private investment and then expecting the residents to cover the costs.
“Residents face paying for the bridge, whilst many of their wages remain frozen, therefore the additional £1,000 per year to carry out daily activities is tantamount to a pay cut, which simply cannot be afforded.
“The financial impact will also damage business and the regional economy, which the Government should be supporting.”
MP wins meeting with minister over Mersey bridge tolls
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This was the Minister’s response to the MP for Warrington South’s question:
I am not aware of having rejected any previous invitation. I would be delighted to meet the hon. Gentleman and his constituents. The Government’s position is very clear. We intend that the tolls will go when the bridge has been paid for. Unfortunately, when crossings are being tolled, there has to be equality, because otherwise the untolled bridge ends up being loaded up to the point where the original purpose is defeated. The good news is that this is a major piece of new infrastructure, and that is all to the good.
I suppose the question that could be asked of the MP for Warrington South is, would a Labour Government scrap the tolls?
Should it be Government (public money) that pays for this bridge? Or should it be PEEL – the main beneficiaries – who should foot the bill?
Ordinary people are ripped off, right, left and centre, whilst off shore tax evaders get subsidised.
Neither, it should have been just the residents of Halton. You know the people that voted for the council that applied for the tolls and then kept the same bunch in power afterwards whilst they built the blessed thing! Why should anyone else suffer for their stupidity?