Beverley and Holderness MP, Graham Stuart, has secured a meeting with the Minister of State for Transport, Sadiq Khan MP, to discuss the future of the Humber Bridge tolls.
Last month Mr Khan rejected a proposal by the Humber Bridge Board to increase the cost of a single car journey across the Bridge. Graham welcomed the decision, but believes it should be the first step in a campaign to abolish the tolls altogether, and the £332 million debt which is currently owed on the Bridge.
He wants the Government to agree to a toll holiday on the bridge, reducing the toll to £1 for cars for a 12-month period. This would allow the Board to charge £1 for cars and two-thirds less for other vehicles to cover maintenance costs only. After the proposed trial year, a study of traffic levels would be carried out to discover the impact on reducing the tolls.
He also wants the Government to consider establishing a formal and broad enquiry into the general issues surrounding the bridge toll and the bridge debt, to identify ways in which the burden of the debt and the tolls that accompany it can be removed. He hopes to discuss these issues with the Minister when they meet on Wednesday 11th November. Graham has also invited local MPs David Davis, Alan Johnson, Diana Johnson, John Prescott, Greg Knight, Shona McIsaac and Ian Cawsey.
He said: “I was delighted when the Minister decided to reject the Humber Bridge Board’s proposal to increase the tolls. But we cannot rest on our laurels. We need to persuade the Government to look into the feasibility of abolishing the tolls altogether, or at least reducing them significantly.
“I hope the other MPs will get involved with the meeting and present a single message to the Minister that the tolls are damaging to our region, damaging to our economy and damaging to our community cohesion.”
