26th March 2025
Government inspector rules Tamar tolls can go up
SOME will say it was inevitable, others will scream ‘whitewash!’ but after five months of deliberation since a public inquiry last October, the inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Transport has confirmed that tolls on the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry can be increased.
The official, Mr S Dean, took evidence from more than 400 people, including new South East Cornwall Labour MP Anna Gelderd, all of whom objected to raising the charges but his 15,000-plus word summing up of all the arguments only led him to agree that the tolls should be raised by 15.4 per cent.
His ruling means that the current toll for a car, £2.60, can go up to £3.00, while those using the discounted tag system will see their crossing charge increase from £1.30 to £1.50.
The inspector summarised the objectors’ views that the crossings were poorly and inefficiently managed, with excessive expenditure on staff, operations, and equipment. Traffic had dropped, but revenue had increased; spending was out of control, and there had been an increase in borrowing which was historically (pre-2000) never done.
Those opposed to any toll increase also said that maintenance was excessive and future work programmes were unnecessary, over the top and too costly.
The new visitor centre, offices and control buildings were criticised as being unnecessary, expensive and did not contribute to the core function of delivering safe, reliable and efficient crossings.
The inspector also noted the view that tolls were too expensive already, particularly given the current cost-of-living pressures and local wages.
There were, he listed, many other reasons why the objectors said that any toll increase should be refused.
The MP told him that Tamar crossings were essential infrastructure for the region, connecting Cornwall to the rest of the UK and providing a crucial link for communities, families and businesses.
She said that many residents were reliant on the crossings for work, education and healthcare and they were the people who shouldered the greatest proportion of the toll cost.
“Residents find the tolls a particular burden and they place a strain on already stretched budgets, particularly in Cornwall where median incomes are already 20 per cent lower than the national average,” she said.
“The crossings are not just crossings, but essential lifelines for South East Cornwall.”
But the Inspector concluded that his ruling must have regard to the financial position and future prospects of the joint Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry undertaking.
And he added: “I do not find that the spending of the joint committee on day-to-day items, including phones and associated devices is excessive, unnecessary or otherwise inappropriate.
“Given the nature of the crossings and their operation, such spending seems entirely appropriate and was clearly justified.
“Everyone accepts that rising tolls would have an effect on the wider community and are unwelcome at a time when costs and financial pressures are also rising.
“However, the financial evidence is clear that with the crossings being run as directed by the parent authorities, income is required, and at present, the level of income is insufficient.
“Unless and until the ownership and funding arrangements are changed, which would require legislative change and an unknown amount of time, the situation remains that income must pay for the running of the crossings.
“The vast majority of that income comes from tolls. Costs to run the crossings are rising, and as such, tolls must rise.
“The case was also made that this would not be the last toll revision application, and that others would inevitably follow.
“This is true, and the joint committee has not sought to suggest otherwise.
“That is an unfortunate, and necessary function of the particular circumstances of this crossing, being self-financing and not otherwise centrally funded.
“There are, I accept, potential alternatives to avoid such a future application, including central government funding or indexation which would have avoided entirely the need for this toll revision application and several previous ones.
“However, those are not for me or this application to consider.
“Fundamentally, despite the position of the objectors and their concerns around management of the crossings, not raising the tolls – and, thereby, worsening the financial position – is not a solution.
“The evidence supporting the need
for a toll increase is compelling”
“Similarly, whilst alternative funding, or central government funding may present a solution in the long term, it is not currently available, but the financial pressures on the crossings and the joint committee are immediate.”
Mr Dean concluded: “The evidence is clear that the proposed toll revision would be necessary having regard to the financial position and future prospects of the undertaking in accordance with the 1954 Act.
“The crossings are, and are required to be, self-financing, whilst providing a safe, efficient and reliable service.
“Toll income makes up over 90 per cent of the joint committee’s income and this is currently insufficient to meet the expenditure necessary to provide now and into the future, safe, reliable and efficient crossings at the bridge and the ferry.
“Despite the effects of a toll increase on users, the evidence supporting the need for a toll increase is compelling.”
On considering the inspector’s report, the Secretary of State for Transport Heidi Alexander (the MP for Swindon South) said that she agreed with his conclusions as without a toll increase, the services would not be sustainable and, therefore, the proposed increases were necessary to ensure the continued operation of the crossings.
The inspector’s full and detailed report is available in the attached pdf