MPs hold 'productive meeting' on tolls

Transport Minister Sadiq Khan has reaffirmed his pledge to consider cutting or scrapping the Humber Bridge tolls at a meeting with MPs.

Last month Mr Khan pledged the crossing charge would not rise for 18 months after discussing the issue with a delegation of business and council leaders from the region.

He announced £6m of public funding to allow the bridge to balance its books after earlier rejecting a proposed 20p increase in the £2.70 toll.

Now, he has met with Beverley and Holderness MP Graham Stuart, Haltemprice and Howden MP David Davis, Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac, Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell and Brigg and Goole MP Ian Cawsey.

Mr Stuart, who arranged the meeting, said afterwards: "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."

Mr Stuart said the minister had stated that the Department for Transport needed to do further work assessing reports into the crossing charge and do its own analysis on the impact of reduced tolls.

The Beverley and Holderness MP told the Mail: "He said without such analysis the Treasury would be unlikely to take the issue forward. He couldn't 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."

Experts from the department are examining a report by independent transport consultants Colin Buchanan which suggested that scrapping or cutting the charge would boost the region's economy.

A Department for Transport spokesman said: "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."

The Mail's A Toll Too Far campaign has been calling for a reduction in the Humber Bridge crossing charge.

The campaign has been urging the Government to drop the bridge's debt, enabling the toll to be axed or reduced to £1 for cars.

A Toll Too Far is run in conjunction with our sister papers the Grimsby Telegraph and the Scunthorpe Telegraph.

Readers can sign the campaign petition by visiting www.thisishull.co.uk/tolltoofar.html