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Tim Iredale
Political editor, Yorkshire & Lincolnshire
Humber Bridge tolls to be reduced, according to MPs
Tolls on the Humber Bridge recently increased to £3 each way for cars - making it the most expensive crossing in the UK
The prospect of lower toll charges on the Humber Bridge has moved a step closer, according to some MPs.
Conservative MPs Andrew Percy and Martin Vickers say the government is willing to write off a substantial part of the £330m debt, which is still outstanding on the Humber Bridge.
Transport Minister Norman Baker and Economic Secretary to the Treasury, Chloe Smith, have met MPs from both sides of the Humber to discuss the financial future of the bridge, which opened in 1981.
Tolls on the Humber Bridge recently increased from £2.70 to £3 each way for cars - making it the most expensive crossing in the UK.
The proposed debt reduction could reduce the toll charges by half to £1.50 each way for cars.
Economic developmentA change in the way the bridge is managed is also due to be announced, with the Humber Bridge Board expected to be disbanded in its current form.
“Start Quote
End Quote Department for TransportWe are clear that the current finances of the Humber Bridge are unsustainable, for historic reasons, and we are looking at positive options to ensure that the future financing of the bridge is sustainable for both local communities and national government”
Business leaders argue that high toll charges act as a barrier to economic growth in the Humber region - an area with a higher than average rate of unemployment.
Over the past few months a review of the economic impact of the tolls has been carried out by officials at the Treasury.
A Department for Transport spokesman said: "We are clear that the current finances of the Humber Bridge are unsustainable, for historic reasons, and we are looking at positive options to ensure that the future financing of the bridge is sustainable for both local communities and national government.
"We also attach importance to close engagement in the management of the bridge from local elected representatives and business people, working together.
"We expect to make a further statement on our conclusions in the near future."
An announcement on the future of the Humber Bridge is expected to be made in the Chancellor's Autumn Statement on November 29.
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Comment number 1.
Caribbeanwind24th November 2011 - 19:54
This positive action is long overdue and I dare say welcomed by the vast majority of people in the region on either side of the Humber. It is now over 30 years since the bridge was completed and the outstanding debt should have been cleared years ago. I support a reasonable charge to for maintenance though.
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Comment number 2.
southbooth26th November 2011 - 18:26
This has been going on far too long; the government has paid off a large amount yet the bridge still does not cover its debt. Will this offer mean it can pay back the debt, maintain the bridge and reduce the charge? If not then it’s time the debt was written off. The government will loose its income but perhaps is need to put its coffers behind the people and industry of the area.
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Comment number 3.
James Hewson29th November 2011 - 16:55
It's not the only problem the bridge has. Similar to the Forth Bridge and Severn Bridge, there is corrosion on the steel cables. Because the Humber Bridge was built 15 years later, much more can be done than the other two by dehumidifying the main cable. There may be 71,000 km of 15,000 wires of 5mm thickness, but there is a lot of weight to carry in the two main cables of only 68 cm in diameter.
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