Silver Jubilee Bridge toll under fire

Nov 27 2008 by Mark Smith, Runcorn and Widnes Weekly News

PROPOSALS to toll drivers on the Silver Jubilee Bridge as part of the Mersey Gateway Project face formidable opposition from a new council.

The executive board for Cheshire West and Chester council, which will replace Vale Royal on April 1, 2009, voiced its objection to bridge tolls at a meeting last week.

Despite showing support “in principle” to the Mersey Gateway Project as a whole, a report to the board stated tolls on the Silver Jubilee Bridge could “undermine economic development” in the area.

It stated: “The council objects to the proposal to toll the Silver Jubilee Bridge as a local connector and believes it should be free to all users.

“Tolling would add additional costs to local people and businesses and risks undermining the wider economic and regeneration benefits of the scheme.

“The council asks that the Mersey Gateway Project re-examines this and looks at how these resources could be secured from alternative sources.”

Mersey Gateway Project director Steve Nicholson said: “We welcome the support from the new shadow authority in Cheshire West and Chester.

“While we share their interest in developing the best possible discount package for local and frequent users of the Silver Jubilee Bridge, the funding agreement with the Government is based on tolling both bridges, and it is important to remember that a free-to-use Silver Jubilee Bridge is not an option for us.”

Vale Royal Borough Council has voiced concerns over tolls in the past, describing them as “punitive”.

Cheshire West and Chester Council currently exists as a “shadow authority” and will replace Vale Royal, Ellesmere Port and Neston, and Chester District councils next year.

The £431m Mersey Gateway Project will go before a public inquiry next spring.