Committee votes to increase tolls on Tamar bridge and Torpoint ferry despite protests

Members of the Tamar Toll Action Group protested outside the council meeting on Friday. Credit: Scott Slavin

The price of crossing the River Tamar could rise once again after a council committee voted in favour of a toll hike.

On Friday the joint committee, made up of councillors from Cornwall and Plymouth, recommended the cash toll should go up from £2.60 to £3.00, and from £1.30 to £1.50 for Tamar Tag users.

The decision will now need to be approved by both councils and then the Government.

The bridge committee says it is running out of financial reserves. Credit: ITV News

Committee co-chair Cllr Martin Worth told ITV News: "We had several options presented to us, we discussed them in a lot of detail.

"What we tried to do was take into consideration the pressures on our finances, to make certain we have the reserves to run the bridge and the ferry.

"So we have opted to increase the tolls by the minimum amount."

The bridge and ferry carry around 18 million vehicles every year. Credit: ITV News

Between them, the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry carry around 18 million vehicles a year.

The committee heard that the impact of higher than expected levels of inflation and interest rates, rises in energy and fuel costs, and ongoing reductions in traffic levels have resulted in a loss of profit.

The organisation’s reserves are expected to be completely depleted during 2024/2025, unless income is increased.