Forums Forums Local News Mersey Tunnel Tolls Could hit £1.60 in April?

Icy reception for Moreton Tory councillor who announced tolls would be frozen



A TORY councillor who claims Mersey Tunnel tolls will remain frozen this year has stirred up a political storm.
[img:right]Chris Blakeley[/img]
Merseytravel board member and Moreton Conservative councillor Chris Blakeley has been assuring people via his website this week that the controversial tolls will not rise for a second year running.

Yet any decision on whether to raise tolls from £1.40 to £1.60 each way - originally proposed last year but deferred because of the credit crunch - will not be taken until Merseytravel, the tunnel's administrative body, meets early next month.

The matter has not even been discussed between the largest political group on the board, the Liberal Democrats, who are due to meet with Merseytravel's director of resources Jim Barclay to discuss the issue this Thursday - in advance of the whole board's budget discussions on February 4.

The Globe has spoken to several members of the Merseytravel board and all of them - apart from Cllr Blakeley - agree that there is not yet even an agenda for the February 4 budget meeting.

The board's chairman, Sefton Labour Cllr Mark Dowd, said that without an agenda it was impossible to say what would be discussed or any decisions that would be made.

Eastham Cllr Dave Mitchell, a Liberal Democrat member of the Merseytravel board, said: "This is blatant electioneering by Cllr Blakeley.

"We simply do not know what will happen at the meeting on February 4. There literally isn’t an order of business yet, let alone any kind of decision.

"It is impossible to say what is going to be talked about the budget meeting because so far, there isn’t even an agenda."

The 18-strong Merseytravel board is made up of councillors drawn from across the five Merseyside councils of Wirral, Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens.

Nine of them are Liberal Democrats, six Labour, and three Conservatives. The board is effectively “hung” with the Tories holding a powerful casting vote.

Cllr Blakeley this week insisted to the Globe that Merseytravel’s resources chief Mr Barclay, along with its chief executive Neil Scales, had assured him that no one would be recommending a toll rise.

"The authority will have the final decision but that’s what I've been told," he said.

THE GLOBE

I think every penny of the toll is justified. Where else in the world would you get a Private Police force being paid top dollar to play with road cones all day, every day! Whatever training these guys go through must be extremely rigourous, I've even seen one officer doing something us mere mortals could never do... He moved TWO cones at once!!! Obviously chasing promotion.
A big Hurrah for the CONE POLICE!

Jesus, I did'nt realise the trains were that expensive nowadays. But they do have the advantage of not having paking charges or arsing about in Liverpool traffic.

I am shocked by modern-day train prices, the government want everyone to ditch their cars and use the trains, yet recently, out of interest, I priced up a return ticket to go and see my dad by train, and exclusing bus/taxi to travel the 10 miles or so from the train station, it was going to cost me £115 or £56 if I returned on the same day lol. It costs about £35 fuel or so in my car for a return journey, my previous car would have been about £20 or so.

The train takes over 3:30 with 3 changes etc plus the time it takes to get a bus/taxi from the station to my dads (I was working out like-for-like from my door to my dads, not considering he could pick me up), it takes just over 2 hours by car with no hassle lol.

Would I ever go on a train? No way haha!

And don't forget that train fares are subsidised up to the hilt, it is actually costing you a lot more than this from your taxes etc.

Good News!!!

TUNNEL tolls will stay at the same levels after Merseytravel agreed to continue the freeze for another year.

However, a bid by the three Conservative councillors to reduce them further was voted down when the ruling transport authority met yesterday.

Wirral councillor Chris Blakeley had put forward two motions, first calling for a 10p reduction for car drivers and then for a reduction on “Fast Tags”, but the Tories were outvoted by the Labour and Lib-Dems.

Cllr Blakeley admitted their proposals could have fallen foul of the Tunnels Act which allows Merseytravel to increase tolls in line with inflation, but said it “shows just how bad the Tunnels Act is, taking away power from locally elected members”.

Under the Act Merseytravel could increase tolls to £1.60 for cars but members voted to freeze them at the current levels, which for cars remains at £1.40.

Cllr Mark Dowd, chairman of Merseytravel, said: “We are delighted that we have been able to retain the tolls at their current level for a further 12 months.

“Under the Mersey Tunnels Act we are obliged to keep tolls in line with RPI, but there is a clause which allows us to freeze them in exceptional economic or social conditions.

“There is however, no provision under the Act which allows any other variation. This would require a change in the Act itself.”

http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live...s-held-for-another-year-100252-25766866/