CALLS are growing for Warrington South MP David Mowat to “consider his position” following the Governments u-turn over charging Warrington residents to use the new Mersey Gateway toll bridge, which opens this Autumn.
Warrington Borough Council leader Terry O’Neill says he is “shocked and very disappointed” by a government announcement that all Warrington residents WILL have to pay tolls on the new Mersey Gateway bridge and has called on Mr Mowat to consider his position.
He says he will also be writing to Ministers calling for them to review the decision.
Council leader Terry O’Neill
Cllr O’Neill is angry because In April 2015, just before the General Election, the then-Chancellor George Osborne announced that tolls on the new bridge would not apply to Warrington residents.
Cllr O’Neill has expressed his concerns over the past months that the Government may backtrack on their commitment and it has now been confirmed by the Department for Transport that there will be no toll waiver for Warrington residents.
Cllr O’Neill said: “Mr Osborne made a clear statement just before the election that our residents would not be paying tolls. This statement was made without qualification.
“Now we see that it was smoke and mirrors from the Government. You would have thought that, if Mr Osborne was making a statement he would have checked his facts – and there would be a plan.
“Instead, just like Brexit, we see it’s ‘making things up as we go along’. I can only conclude that Mr Osborne’s statement was to influence voters in a nearby marginal seat.
“In fact, Warrington South MP David Mowat said at the time that he was ‘delighted’ that the Chancellor had said he would scrap the tolls and ‘save Warrington drivers over £1,000 a year’.
“The fact that the Government has now performed a complete U-turn on this decision is shameful and just shows their pre-election statements were completely dishonest, contemptuous and misleading and perhaps Mr Mowat should be considering his position also.
Cllr O’Neill says he is not happy with this decision and he will be writing to Ministers to ask them to review it.
Cllr Steve Wright, Chair of Warrington South Constituency Labour Party added: “Like Councillor O’Neill I am shocked and deeply unimpressed that the government have ridden roughshod over their promise on the Mersey toll.
“The previous announcement now just looks like a piece of cynical game playing by David Mowat and the Conservatives, coming as it did very conveniently just before the last general election.
Mr Mowat has fooled the people of Warrington South who put him back in Parliament in the mistaken belief that he was on their side. He now owes them an explanation. This u-turn can only add to the congestion woes in Warrington and will cost some people an absolute fortune just to get to work.
He has now blown away any last shreds of confidence that the residents had placed in him and should not expect people ever to back him again. I am joining the call for him to consider his position.”
Numerous comments have been posted on social media from angry Warrington residents, also calling for Mr Mowat to consider his position.
Mr Mowat, who says he worked for 18 months with ministers seeking a special case for residents said: “I’m bitterly disappointed that the Government has not been able to deliver on this pledge but it has only encouraged me to redouble my efforts to campaign for the critical infrastructure improvements we need right here in Warrington, such as the new bridges and the new station in west Warrington.”
@warringtonnews @warringtonworld Has he gone yet? pic.twitter.com/KgEQUF4FwZ
— damrobinson (@damrobinson) January 25, 2017
Never trust a Tory ,, this Lie helped them win Warrington south , when announced with great fanfare https://t.co/eXzcyFBw2n
— martin ellis-hall (@cutter78) January 25, 2017
@warringtonworld @Warrington_Buzz @mowat4ws #MowatMustGo #Resign pic.twitter.com/0k2eA7M1r3
— damrobinson (@damrobinson) January 25, 2017
A disgrace for @mowat4ws not to push for his constituents harder https://t.co/nhKiIKuRKk
— Karen Robinson (@kazrobo85) January 25, 2017
Hey @mowat4ws , remember this? #awkward pic.twitter.com/w9s5R1O9vF
— Momentum Warrington (@wiremomentum) January 24, 2017
Shocking!!! David Mowatt should surely resign and allow for a fresh by-election! https://t.co/M2nPyXuVNs
— Sankey South Labour (@Sankey_Labour) January 24, 2017
@warringtonworld @NickBent yes we needed a bridge but this 4.50 per bridge to use Osborne Berlin Wall of Cheshire will bring misery to 1000s
— mikunknown (@mikunknown) January 24, 2017
1 Comment
on the plus side, the traffic mayhem this causes probably won’t reach Macclesfield where Mowatt lives.