The regions MP’s have called for an urgent review of the new Mersey Gateway Bridge during a parliamentary debate that took place at Westminster Hall yesterday.
Maria Eagle, MP for Garston And Halewood , launched a three-pronged attack on the tolls system – warning the charges were causing her constituents’ lives to become becoming ‘financially unsustainable, saying the administration of the road charges was “secretive and unresponsive” and claiming there was not “sufficient public accountability”.
Eagle criticised the new bridge toll scheme heavily stating that trying to access to critical information was similar to “getting blood out of a stone” – first from the Department For Transport, which she said would not tell her how many fines had been issued, then Merseyflow, which – after she had followed up with a phone call and email – told her to put the request in a Freedom Of Information Act request.
In her speech, Mrs Eagle said: “Does the minister not agree that the answers to the questions about how much money has been raised in fines and how many penalty charge notices have been issued should be in the public domain?
“Getting answers should not be like getting blood out of a stone, particularly given that the money is coming straight out of the hard-earned cash of local people and businesses, who are struggling to find it.
“Should the Department (For Transport) not have the information, particularly given the guarantees it has given to stand behind any shortfall?
“Why should the details of the contract and the scheme not be published as well?
“The people of Merseyside have a right to know the answers to those and other questions and the Government, having insisted that Merseyside could only get this bridge if it was majority-financed by tolls, should be at the forefront of making sure that we have access to and transparency in the information, and should not be indulging in their usual trick of blaming someone else.
“Many of my constituents cannot afford the extra costs imposed by the Mersey Gateway Bridge and its current tolling arrangements.
“There should be, and needs to be, a full reappraisal of how it works, who pays and how much should be paid, which should include looking at getting rid of tolls completely.
“We need that review sooner rather than later.”
A number of case studies were raised in which a teacher from Warrington now has surplus costs of £1,000 per year to get to work despite a nominal pay rise.
Many of the MP’s have called for the tolls on the Mersey Gateway Bridge to be scrapped completely.