Councillors row over bid to end Tamar charges

MOTION TO CALL FOR ABOLITION OF TOLLS

- LEE TREWHELA

A CORNWALL Council meeting heard that regular requests for central government to take the financial pressure off those who regularly pay to cross the River Tamar have been refused.

There was also anger that the full council would not discuss a motion to abolish the bridge and ferry tolls, but it was passed on to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee instead.

Liberal Democrat group leader Cllr Colin Martin proposed a motion calling for the tolls to be abolished and funding of both the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry to be provided by Westminster.

He was told by Cornwall Council chair, Cllr Pauline Giles, that the matter would be passed to the joint committee, which will now be given up to six months to consider the motion before bringing a report back to Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council, which co-own the Tamar transport crossings.

The council also faced a number of questions from the public raising concerns about the Tamar tolls, reflecting growing concern in south-east Cornwall, where a Tamar Toll Action Group now has over 3,000 members.