ONE year on from Chancellor George Osborne’s pledge to scrap road tolls for Warrington residents on the Mersey Gateway bridges he has still not delivered on his promise, according to Labour election candidate Nick Bent.
The Appleton ward candidate has slammed the Chancellor for failing to deliver his pledge – which at the time he had dismissed as a pre-election gimmick.
All three main political parties at Warrington had called for the tolls to be scrapped – but none more so than Mr Bent.
More than 1,000 Warrington residents signed a petition calling for the tolls on the bridges to be scrapped.
There was also backing from a range of organisations in Warrington, including 250 businesses led by the Chamber of Commerce, the University of Chester and Warrington and Halton NHS Hospitals Trust.
Twelve months on, Mr Bent says, the Government has still not confirmed that the promise will be kept nor clarified how the Treasure will meet the costs.
Mr Bent said: “I am proud that Labour councillors and I successfully
pressured Osborne into making this pledge to Warrington – and people should vote Labour in the local elections to keep up the pressure on the Tories to honour their promise.”
If the pledge is not kept, all Warrington drivers using the current Silver Jubilee Bridge and new Mersey Gateway Crossing which opens next year will have to pay £2 each way to cross the Mersey.
Road tolls at Runcorn would also mean even worse congestion in Warrington
– a nightmare for residents, for business and for the town’s reputation.
Mr Bent added: “Unless and until George Osborne makes it crystal clear the Treasury will cover all the costs of Warrington drivers’ road tolls, people will treat his pre-election words with contempt. It’s time for Osborne to show us the money.”
Mersey bridge toll promise “still not delivered”
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