Minister reaffirms bridge toll pledge
TRANSPORT Minister Sadiq Khan has reaffirmed his pledge to consider cutting or scrapping the Humber Bridge Tolls at a meeting with MPs.
As reported, Mr Khan pledged the toll would not rise for 18 months after meeting a delegation of business and council leaders from the region.
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Sadiq Khan met this week with MPs Austin Mitchell and Shona MsIsaac.
He announced £6-million of public funding to allow the bridge to balance its books after earlier rejecting a proposed 20p increase in the £2.70 charge.
This week he met with MPs including Austin Mitchell and Shona McIsaac.
Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart, who arranged the meeting, said: “We thanked the minister for agreeing to the freeze in the tolls and providing the money to pay for that freeze, but I said we need more action and a pilot of a £1 toll to assess the effects on traffic and trade.
“The minister said the Department for Transport needed to do further work assessing the Colin Buchanan report and do its own analysis on the impact of reduced tolls.
“He said without such analysis, the Treasury would be unlikely to take the issue forward. He could not give a definite date by which this review would be completed but said that he’s pressing for it to be finished as soon as possible.”
A DfT spokesman said: “Mr Khan had a productive meeting at which he reaffirmed his commitment to seriously consider proposals to scrap or reduce the tolls.
“The Government is doing everything it can to protect communities and businesses from the economic downturn, and to help the country recover. That’s why we recently decided not to accept the Humber Bridge Board’s proposed toll increase.”
4 Comments
by Tommy, Grimsby
Friday, November 13 2009, 7:33PM
“We haven't got a hope in hell of getting the toll reduced or scrapped.
Instead of saying he will give it serious consideration, he might as well just say "no chance", because this government are the biggest load of money hogging crooks on the planet.
We are supposedly the 4th richest economy in the world, and there is no wonder, with the ammount of tax we pay along with every other stealth tax.
Robbers!!”
by Bernard, Sth Killingholme.
Friday, November 13 2009, 5:11PM
“Only considering proposals to cut or scrap tolls.
Why bother? we know what the decision will be,after all it's not as if it's a bank is it.
But wait a minute, it is a bank it's the NORTH BANK. Perhaps they might be able to pay off the debt with the money which they seem to have lots of for their "REGENERATION"
Just a thought.”
by steven, grimsby
Friday, November 13 2009, 4:55PM
“I drove across yesterday and the guy in the toll booth told me the toll would be £3 within a month”
by angela, Grimsby
Friday, November 13 2009, 1:47PM
“Funny this.....Khan was said to have told campaigners when they visited Westminster that they have more chance of getting a rope ladder to the moon than getting these cut or reduced.”