The request has been made to address the financial shortfall and provide the funding needed to maintain service levels. The Councils had deferred submission for 55 days after approval to give Government time to respond to the letter of Sheryll Murray regarding support for Government funding of the crossings. If funding was forthcoming, delay would have given the parent authorities the ability to amend or not proceed with the toll revisions.

As there has been no such response from the Government, members of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee have submitted the application to revise tolls to the Secretary of State for Transport.

If approved by the Secretary of State, the application will mean a cash toll of £3.00 for cars. The discounts for pre-paid crossings using the TamarTag scheme will continue to be 50% of the full toll, resulting in a tag toll for cars and vans of £1.50. Tolls for other vehicles will broadly increase pro rata. The Councils have requested increases are applied on or prior to 1 November 2024.

The formal notice of application required by Statute has been published in the local press together with information on how to register an objection. All interested parties will have 42 days from the date of publication of notices to lodge objections to the application with the Department for Transport.

A copy of the application and supporting documentation can be found on the Toll Revision Application Page.

Printed copies of the application pack are available to view at the Tamar Bridge Office and the Torpoint Ferry Office during normal working hours.

All objections should be made in writing to Sandra Zamenzadeh, NTCT Casework Manager, National Transport Casework Team Newcastle, Tyneside House, Skinnerburn Road, Newcastle Business Park, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE4 7AR, or by email to nationalcasework@dft.gov.uk by Friday 14 June 2024 stating the grounds for objection.

Copies of the objection should also be sent to the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee at tolls@tamarcrossings.org.uk or by post to the Torpoint Ferry Office, 2 Ferry Street, Torpoint, Cornwall, PL11 2AX.

The Secretary of State for Transport will consider the application and objections before deciding to approve the application, reject it or to hold a public inquiry into the application.

In the meantime, Members of the Joint Committee will continue to lobby the Government to provide funding for the crossings and work with the local community, business and other stakeholders to shape the future of the Crossings through its Tamar 2050 plan.