Chancellor promises to 'ease the burden' on Wirral motorists by cutting tunnel tolls

During a visit to Birkenhead this afternoon, Mr Osborne confirmed a Conservative government would cut tolls for Wirral residents and small businesses. He added that he was confident they could be scrapped altogether.

It follows 10 years of campaigning against the tolls by West Wirral parliamentary candidate Esther McVey.

George Osborne and West Wirral parliamentary candidate Esther McVey get to grips wih technology during visit to Cabfind.com this afternoon. Picture: Craig Manning

Mr Osborne said improving transport connections across the north to better connect up the great cities and towns of the north is a key part of his plan to build a Northern Powerhouse.

He told the Globe during this afternoon's visit: "It's very simple. We will cut the tolls for Wirral residents and small businesses on Wirral.

"I've listened to Esther’s case. She's powerfully made the argument that the tolls are a real burden on families, working people, and it’s also a burden on local businesses here.

"The ratcheting-up of the prices every year is just not acceptable. So I want to cut the tolls, potentially abolish them altogether, for Wirral residents.

"We’ll have our review, but it’s definitely going to happen.

"I've got a track record, I cut the tolls on the Humber Bridge, on the other side of the country, and I've just said to residents in Halton that they won’t have to pay tolls on the new bridge we’re building at Runcorn.

"Esther has used every single opportunity to get this issue in front of her fellow ministers in the government.

"She's raised it with me in the cabinet room and every time I’ve been up here, so she deserves a credit for getting this on the radar.

"They will definitely be cut, but I'm quite optimistic that we can go further and abolish them altogether for Wirral residents.

"I would say some of the money being generated by tunnel operators is not being as well spent as it should."

George Osborne and West Wirral parliamentary candidate Esther McVey meet Cabfind.com staff during this afternoon's visit. Picture: Craig Manning

Esther McVey - who won the Wirral West seat in 2010 with a 6% majority – will be hoping Thursday's election goes in her favour. Hoping to take the seat from her is Labour candidate Margaret Greenwood.

Backing Ms McVey, Mr Osborne said this afternoon: "I think Esther is one of the great stars of the British government and she's also a real star for Wirral.

"She has put Wirral on the map in Westminster; we had Labour MPs for years, but nothing came here and jobs were lost here.

"Now we’ve had a really strong local Conservative MP and here you have the Chancellor Of The Exchequer talking of abolishing the tolls."

On the Chancellor's pledge to tackle the tolls, Ms McVey said: "After more than a decade of campaigning against this unfair tax on the people of Wirral I am delighted with the Chancellors firm commitment today to take action on the Mersey Tunnel Tolls.

"The tolls have, for too long, been a tax on Wirral drivers to fund spending in Southport, Sefton and St Helens. With the new crossing at Halton, the time is now right to look again at the Mersey Tunnels.

"Ever since the outrageous Tunnels Act of 2004, backed by Labour MPs across Merseyside, the surpluses have stacked up at the expense of Wirral’s economy."

Last week anti-toll campaigners called for greater clarity from Labour and Conservative parties on their plans for the Mersey Tunnels.

It came after promises from both parties to look into scrapping the tolls.

Campaigners fear pre-election pledges will be forgotten come Friday, May 8.

In February, the Labour-led local authorities on Merseyside started their own review to get a fair deal for Mersey Tunnel users.

John McGoldrick, spokesman for the Mersey Tunnels User Association group said last week: "What the parties will do about tolls is an issue that people who cross the river by road would like clear answers to.

"UKIP have said in their manifesto that they want to remove tolls, but with the first past the post system, it is unlikely that there will be any UKIP MPs from the Liverpool region.

"We are pleased that Labour and the Conservatives have also recognised that tolls are important, but their announcements so far seem to be off the cuff and not consistent from one day to the next.

"We fear that after May 7, the party that forms the new Government will deny that they promised anything at all.

"People may wonder who to believe, particularly as both of the main parties have attacked what the other party has said on the tolls as 'stunts'."

Mr Osborne made his pledge during a visit to Birkenhead-based Cabfind.com, a family-run business which has enjoyed international growth since it was set up by local brothers Chris and Tim Jordan in 2005.

The firm, which has more than 120 corporate accounts across the public and private sector and a UK-wide network of 140,000 vehicles, has developed a technology enabled transport-on-demand service.

Clients include Capita, First Great Western, Channel 4, HM Prison Service and TNT.