Mersey bridge tolls

[Egbert]

I see Labour are trumpeting the fact that Ed Miliband has pledged to "review" the proposed tolls on the new Mersey bridge at Widnes and are suggesting that the campaign to scrap the tolls is a Labour campaign.

Well I seem to recall that all the political parties were opposed to these tolls. I also point out that a "review" is not quite the same as a pledge to scrap the tolls and as it was the last Labour government that decided it should be a toll bridge in the first place, we should not hold our breath

[Evil Sid]

It will be a case of "we have reviewed the need for tolls on teh bridge and found that there is a need for them"

[grey_man]

That's a bit old school now. The new model for reviews is HS2 which has been heavily criticised or outright rejected by all four of the Government's own reports and is still going ahead. Now it no longer matters what anybody thinks or says or what the evidence suggests. If a politician and a lobbyist wants it, then it's a done deal.

[Robbo]

The application to the Secretary of State to impose tolls on both the new and old bridges at Widnes has already been sent in. Any objections have to be sent to him by 14th May, just 1 week after the election, so which secretary of state you send it to may only be known a few days before the deadline.