'Justine Greening was great for the Humber'
EAST Yorkshire MPs have praised outgoing Transport Secretary Justine Greening for her work in lowering the Humber Bridge tolls.
Brigg and Goole MP Andrew Percy said she had been "instrumental" in delivering the toll reduction, while Hull East MP Karl Turner said he was "delighted" she had responded to the public campaign.
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'Instrumental': Outgoing Transport Secretary Justine Greening at the Humber Bridge. Picture: Jack Harland
Ms Greening was moved from her transport brief as part of the Prime Minister's long-awaited reshuffle.
Although she continues to have a Cabinet job as International Development Secretary, she lost her transport role amid speculation that her opposition to a third runway at Heathrow Airport was an obstacle to her remaining in post.
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Mr Percy said: "Justine Greening has been extremely helpful and was brilliant when it came to the campaign to lower the Humber Bridge tolls.
"She is a girl from Rotherham who came into the post with a first-hand experience of the issues surrounding the tolls and always said she was committed to doing something to help.
"Without Justine, it is doubtful we would have ever got anywhere with the Treasury-led review of the tolls, so it is fair to say she was an instrumental part of the campaign and her move from the Treasury to the Department for Transport could not have come at a better time.
"She was a very good thing for the Humber."
Hull East MP Karl Turner said Ms Greening first became aware of the impact of the bridge tolls last year and it "remained on her radar" when she became Transport Secretary.
He said: "I have a good working relationship with Ms Greening and spoke to her a number of times about this issue. I am delighted that she listened to cross-party MPs and myself and signed off the reduction to £1.50 in April.
"It is still early days in terms of assessing the true impact of this reduction but there has been a 6 per cent increase in traffic crossing the bridge. This can only stimulate the local economy and help business."
Ms Greening oversaw the Treasury- led review into the Humber Bridge tolls first in her role as Economic Secretary before being promoted to Transport Secretary.
She has been widely praised for helping to push through the review, which ultimately led to an announcement in March by the Chancellor George Osborne, who agreed to write off £150 million of the Humber Bridge debt enabling the tolls to be reduced from £3 to £1.50 for cars.
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