“Remove tolls from Mersey Gateway bridge” says MP

WARRINGTON South MP Faisal Rashid has tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) calling on the government to urgently remove the Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls to relieve the financial strain on local commuters.
The EDM notes  that local motorists are facing a yearly bill of up to £1,080 to cross the bridge when travelling to and from work, and that the cost of doing so has led to some commuters having to leave their employment.
It further notes that in the 2015 General Election, the Conservative Party promised drivers in Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester exemption from the toll charges, only to U-turn on this promise once in Government.
Mr Rashid has consistently pressurised the Government to act on this issue. In June this year, he called on them scrap the tolls in a Westminster Hall debate. Earlier this year, his meeting to discuss a way forward with a Government Minister from the Department for Transport was cancelled by the Minister, citing diary pressures.
The MP is adamant that the Government must keep their promise so that Warrington South residents are able to move freely across the bridge.
Mr Rashid said: “It is a disgrace that over four years since George Osborne promised Warrington South residents that they would not have to pay the tolls on the Mersey Gateway Bridge, my constituents are still waiting for the Conservatives to make good on their promise and do the right thing.
“The news is filled with flashy Conservative policy proposals at the moment – I would remind people in Warrington to think twice before they believe a word they say. Some of my constituents face a bill of up to £1,080 to cross the Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls when travelling to and from work. This is a tax on the people of our town, plain and simple. Some have had to leave their jobs as the cost of commuting is simply too high.”
The EDM reads as follow: “That this House notes with concern that local motorists facie a yearly bill of up to £1,080 to cross the Mersey Gateway Bridge tolls when travelling to and from work; that the cost of those tolls has led to some commuters having to leave their employment; further notes the 2015 Government’s promise that drivers in Warrington, Cheshire West and Chester would enjoy toll-free travel; and calls on the Government to urgently remove the tolls to relieve the financial strain on local commuters.”