Cost of driving out of Cornwall into Devon set to rise

The cost of driving out of Cornwall and into Devon and beyond for thousands of motorists is to rise.

Cornwall Council’s Cabinet has signed off a recommendation to increase the tolls to cross the Tamar, despite hearing that it’s costing families in south east Cornwall £3.5m a year to use the bridge and ferry, often to make vital visits to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth for treatment.
The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry are operated and maintained jointly by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council, and are funded by toll income as approved by the Tamar Bridge Act.
Cornwall’s Conservative Cabinet approved a recommendation that the toll is increased to £3 for cars and £1.50 for the discounted TAG scheme for regular users. It is currently £2.60 for cars and £1.30 for TAG subscribers.
Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee requires the Cabinets of both Cornwall and Plymouth councils to recommend the annual budget and business plan to both their full councils which then also have to vote on it.
Cornwall Council’s full council will now discuss the toll increases at its next meeting on February 20, while Plymouth City Council’s Cabinet will discuss the same report on February 12, followed by its full council on February 26.
Cornwall’s portfolio holder for transport Cllr Richard Williams-Pears said traffic at both crossings is running at 90 per cent of pre-Covid levels which, added to high inflation levels since the outbreak of war in Ukraine, means that without the tolls increase, the forecast income would be insufficient to support the “continued delivery of safe reliable and efficient crossings”.