Tamar Bridge toll hike proposed by Cornwall Council

Cornwall Council's cabinet has approved a recommendation to raise the cost of crossing the Tamar Bridge.

The proposal would see an increase to £3 for cars and £1.50 for those using the pre-paid electronic Tag system, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It is currently £2.60 for cars and £1.30 for Tag subscribers to cross the bridge.

Councillor Hilary Frank said the price rise was "not sustainable for families" in Cornwall.

"We have data that shows since the last toll increase last year our residents in south east Cornwall are paying £3.5m every year in tolls and this is not sustainable for families or our economy," she said.

Councillor Jane Pascoe, who represents 29 parishes, said: "All of those parishes have to regularly use that bridge to access hospitals and it's becoming increasingly expensive for them to get to hospital to get their treatment."

Cornwall's portfolio holder for transport Councillor Richard Williams-Pears said: "While we certainly don't wish to put any additional financial burden on anybody, we are talking about a Tag increase of 20p.

"So if you were to cross the bridge 100 times over the course of a year that would be £20 additional which is a cost but we have to ensure that the books are balanced.

"This is a very convoluted process and we're about midway through it."

The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry are operated and maintained jointly by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council and are funded by toll income as approved by the Tamar Bridge Act.

Cornwall Council's full council will discuss the toll increases at its next meeting while Plymouth City Council's Cabinet will discuss the same report on 12 February, followed by its full council on 26 February.

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