 The bill has been attacked as a tax on motorists |
A controversial bill which could lead to motorists being charged more to use tunnels under the River Mersey has been approved by the House of Commons. The Mersey Tunnels Bill will now be sent on to the House of Lords after MPs voted in favour on Wednesday.
Merseytravel - the body which runs the tunnels - says it needs the powers to raise tolls in order to fund improvements.
It says the money raised would also pay for other projects including public transport across the Merseyside region.
But the bill was attacked by many Merseyside MPs, including Birkenhead's Frank Field who said it was "outrageous" that Merseytravel would be able to use extra revenue raised on tunnel tolls to subsidise other local transport.
Safety standards
Opponents have also warned it could give the green light for substantial year-on-year increases.
John McGoldrick, from the pressure group Mersey Tunnels Users Group, said tolls should be going down rather than up.
"We have had tolls since the tunnels opened in 1934," he said.
"We believe the amount they already collect is sufficient that they should be able to reduce tolls, and perhaps even make them free at weekends."
But supporters of the bill say increasing the toll would help bring the tunnels up to European safety standards.
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