Anger over government double standards

A WARRINGTON Parliamentary hopeful has accused the government of double standards over funding for major projects such as the controversial Mersey Gateway scheme.
Coun Jo Crotty, Prospective Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Warrington was fuming after learning that troubled plans for a £2.3 billion bridge scheme in Scotland would go ahead with funding from the public purse.
She said the funding was being made available thanks to the same spending rules that were being used to deprive the North West of similar cash.
The Government has refused to fund the Mersey Gateway – a new bridge over the Mersey between Widnes and Runcorn – and insisted it be paid for by toll charges likely to result in traffic chaos in Warrington
Coun Crotty said: “It’s wrong that for months on end the Labour government has said they can’t afford to fund the new Mersey Bridge, yet when Gordon Brown wants a bridge in his own back yard he’s more than happy to fund it.”
Plans to build a new Forth crossing on the outskirts of Edinburgh were rescued by the much criticised Barnett formula.
Coun Crotty said the formula, Lord Barnett himself, had even expressed his own concerns at his creation – initially intended to be a short-term solution for the planned devolution of the UK in 1979.
She said: “The Barnett formula was a short-term rule made up in late 1970’s, so why is it still being used today? It smacks of double-standards and indirectly discriminates against those south of the border. Yet again we’re proved right that if we want something in the North West of England, we have to pay for it ourselves.”
Dr Crotty has campaigned long and hard against tolls for the new Mersey Crossing, even rebelling against local councillors from her own party. She argues that tolls will send divert traffic elsewhere into town’s like Warrington and that it shouldn’t be down to the people to fund the bridge in the first place.
She concluded: “Make no mistake, this news will do nothing but motivate me to keep my campaign against tolls on the Mersey Bridge going. Please visit my website at www.jocrotty.org.uk to keep up to date and to get in touch over my campaign to say ‘No!’ to tolls.”
Picture shows Coun Crotty and Lib Dem MEP Chris Davies by the current Mersey Bridge at Widnes.