Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to no rise in Mersey Tunnel tolls for 2015/16

Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to no rise in Mersey Tunnel tolls for 2015/16

Councillor Phil Davies asks for "more sensible decisions" about Mersey Tunnel tolls at a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 13th February 2015
Councillor Phil Davies asks for "more sensible decisions" about Mersey Tunnel tolls at a meeting of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority 13th February 2015

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Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to no rise in Mersey Tunnel tolls for 2015/16

                                              

Following cross-party support for no rise in Mersey Tunnel tolls from councillors on the Merseytravel committee, councillors on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority last week agreed with Merseytravel’s recommendation not to increase the tolls. Cllr Liam Robinson called on both Arriva and Stagecoach to “support local people” and “at the very least freeze their fares” in response to the news.

The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority went further than just agreeing with Merseytravel’s recommendation to not increase tolls this year and agreed to set up a task group to look into whether tunnel tolls could come down in future years. The task group would also call for a review of the Mersey Tunnels Act.

Cllr Phil Davies who seconded the motion creating the task group said, “I think it is timely that we do look at the whole arrangement, costing and pricing et cetera for the tunnel tolls because you know we seem to go through this annual process and it seems to inexorably increase year on year. So I do think it is a good idea to set up a task group where we can look at in-depth all of these issues and I think it’s absolutely again the timing is excellent in terms of the devolution agenda and that really plays into that and our asks.”

John McGoldrick of Mersey Tunnel Users Association, a campaign group who have long campaigned for the scrapping of tunnel tolls, “We were very pleasantly surprised at today’s decision to look again at the whole question of Tunnel’s financing and the level of tolls.”

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Author: John Brace

New media journalist from Birkenhead, England who writes about Wirral Council. Published and promoted by John Brace, 134 Boundary Road, Bidston, CH43 7PH. Printed by UK Webhosting Ltd t/a Tsohost, 113-114 Buckingham Avenue, Slough, Berkshire, England, SL1 4PF.

24 thoughts on “Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agree to no rise in Mersey Tunnel tolls for 2015/16”

  1. To the fountain of all knowledge Mr John Brace no doubt with your expertise you could put your hands on the income & expenditure figures of the tunnels & how much Mersey travel hive off for other schemes it would be an interesting exercise, what say you?.

  2. G’day John and John

    I say…….it must be an election year.

    ….I also say Lyndale will be miraculously saved soon.

    Ooroo

    James

  3. G’day John

    A blast from the past that shows how fast they work in a non-election year.

    Received: Monday, 8 August, 2011, 2:14 AM

    Dear Mr Griffiths,

    Given the nature of your concerns I have passed your correspondence to the Borough’s legal officers.

    Yours sincerely,

    Lets play guess who sent that to me?

    He did actually understand the nature and importance of my concerns.

    Hence they have spent about £200,000 stalling.

    Ooroo

    James

  4. G’day again John

    Give up?

    A clue might be he sleeps a lot through the day.

    Ooroo

    James

  5. G’day John

    May I please ask a favour?

    If you are at the Clown Hall today can you ask “Phil the Dill” where that DCLG Report is on the work their auditor has said he finished over a year ago.

    I do hope they are not charging interest on the inevitable penalties.

    Ooroo

    James

    Ps Went for an interview the other day next door to the old NWDA that was a blast from the past and there was a stench of lies an scum like when you enter Wallasey Clown Hall.

  6. G’day again John

    If and whilst you are at the Clown Hall today mate in light of the local trash article.

    Bleak warning over Wirral Council finances as new report recommends major funding shake-up

    Can you ask where there junket is this year on account of The Chamber Pot this year???

    No doubt after the election.

    Ooroo

    James

  7. G’day John

    Apparently after talking to someone with a lot of European monies experience no one is ever prosecuted for stealing it.

    It would make the people controlling it look incompetent wouldn’t it “Football Shirt”.

    Or you could just say it is not our money and we don’t have to control it.

    I have to meet Stella in China and Kenny in Reno and it doesn’t matter that it was probably £2.50 going to Europe and with the bureaucracy comes back as £1.00 and then it gets knocked off by Wirral “Funny” Bizz and the likes.

    Then Great Britain wouldn’t look so great would it if a peanut from down Campbelltown Road could get away with hundreds and hundreds of thousands of these hard earned pounds of not our money hey “Football Shirt”?

    Lets just keep the lies going for four years and see if “Highbrow” and the “Irreverent Aussie” are still about.

    Trust me we will be.

    Ooroo

    James

  8. G’day John

    Still not gone away.

    The other thing I learned from the wise one was that organisations such as DCLG don’t ever say thank you for giving them information.

    Says it all.

    Ooroo

    James

  9. Good Evening Mr Brace and Mr G, I have been following your Blog with Interest as usual and giving the expenses issue some thought (Cabs).
    Did you ever obtain any of the receipts for the journey’s? Who’s handwriting was it in? Where did the journeys Start and End? Is the Tax Man aware? Should Business Accounts have been submitted by now? Do the people understand the comment ” Sew What others Reaps? ” I notice the 10 pence increase has been stopped? at the last minute?. I was not very amused by the comment for “Humanities Sake” It must be very bad being accountable to an Electorate and not knowing where to turn for Guidance on the matter

  10. G’day John

    More hijacking with some FOI extracts.

    From: Corrin, Jane
    Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council

    3 February 2015

    Dear Mr. Hobro,

    I refer to your request for an Internal Review dated 10^th September 2014
    and I apologise for the delay there has been in responding to you. I have
    reviewed the questions you posed and also the response to your enquiry,
    supplied by Surjit Tour on 10^th September 2014, which prompted your
    request for an Internal review. As the reviewing officer, I can confirm
    that the Council stands by its original response and reiterates the
    answers it gave, namely:

    Answer to Question 1- The Council does not hold any recorded information
    about the movement of assets from the company named in your request to a
    2^nd company. The Council has already confirmed that the 1^st company had
    completed the project expenditure before the first company went into
    liquidation. The general conditions of the grant referred to the
    possibility of successor companies. Any issue therefore concerning the
    movement of assets would fall to be addressed by the liquidator of the
    1^st company.

    Answer to Question 2 – Please see the answer given to question 1 above.
    The Council does not accept that it has either condoned the shielding of
    assets or aided and abetted a breach of insolvency legislation.

    If you remain dissatisfied with this response to your Internal review then
    you have the right to complain to The Information Commissioner, whose
    address is

    The Information Commissioner’s Office,

    Wycliffe House,

    Water Lane,

    Wilmslow,

    Cheshire SK9 5AF

    [1]www.ico.gov.uk <[2]http://www.ico.gov.uk/>

    Yours Sincerely

    Jane Corrin

    Information and Central Services Manager

    nigel hobro left an annotation (23 February 2015)

    I suggest you re-read page 11 of the Internal audit report prepared by D Garry chief Internal auditor on the BIG project

    Invest Wirral told the auditor they had recorded minutes and continued contact with Harbac (dissolved) the successor company to Lockwood (dissolved).He records this on page 11 of the minutes to ARMC of 8th October 2014

    That would mean WBC have deliberately destroyed these minutes or that it is lying.

    This has returned to Information Commissioner and will proceed to the Local Government Ombudsman

    Link to this

    nigel hobro left an annotation (23 February 2015)

    from D garry’s report page 11 (I have inserted the company names as being liquidated so no longer needing redaction)
    “Correspondene had taken place between Invest Wirral and one of the directors of Lockwood during March 2011 concerning the transfer of the business and assets of Lockwood to a new company,Harbac UK ltd,which had been formed on 11th October 2010. Following consultations with the department of Law, HR and Asset Management, Invest wirral approved this approach… accordingly Harbac took over the assets, orders and staff of Lockwood…
    Invest Wirral confirmed Harbac continued trading successfully and delivered the outputs which was the purpose of the grant.
    There were records of ongoing reviews and contact with Harbac which was considered to be successful”

    WBC claims it has nothing in a recorded format!!!!

    So John almost 4 years on and they are still spending hundreds and hundreds of pounds in man hours over Big, ISUS and Working Neighbourhoods…….for why??

    Ooroo

    James

  11. If I may say, in answer to the Cabs remark and subsequent remark by Mr G, the Tax Man has 7 years to Claim back any outstanding Tax, Vat, etc.
    maybe more now, although they maybe still smarting over a quite recent case of another friend and they may not want to get involved

    1. I might be wrong here and I stand to be corrected, but I suspect that if you check with the ” Land Registry ” Property Registration, is still a Legal Requirement, if it passed, sold, Changed Hands, 106 Contracts, or Charge placed on it. Although you can get access to Council Assets, via the Register, maybe Mr Brace can help you in your Quest, unless it is on a need to know basis. Of Course I would also imagine it would have to satisfy conditions, in the Public Interest, etc.

  12. G;day John

    When do you think they will announce saving or reprieving Lyndale?

    I bet it is before they admit Wirral “Funny” Bizz was a wrong un of epic proportions.

    Ooroo

    James

    Ps Who will be the hero?

  13. G’day John

    From tonight’s Agenda Pack…..one to watch

    146 WIRRAL BUSINESS SUPPORT PROGRAMME
    Councillor Pat Hackett introduced the report of the Senior Manager –
    Business and Investment, updating on the progress of Wirral Council
    business support initiatives and the merger of Wirral Business Partnership
    and Wirral Chamber of Commerce (the Chamber). The report sought
    approval for the formation of a strategic business collaboration between Wirral Council and The Chamber for the delivery of the borough’s business support services.

    RESOLVED: That
    (1) the formation of a collaboration agreement between Wirral
    Council and The Chamber to deliver all business support services
    in the Borough be approved; and
    (2) the Head of Legal and Member Services be authorised to sign a
    legal collaboration agreement between the Council and The
    Chamber upon the content of this report.
    Councillor Ann McLachlan vacated the Chair.
    Councillor Phil Davies in the Chair.

    Who was it that had one, two or three business plans for that vacant, deserted club in New Brighton at about £3,000 a pop prepared by unqualified people at Wirral “Funny” Bizz?

    I wonder where this years junket will be on account of “The Chamber Pot”?

    Ooroo

    James

  14. John Hardacre on the 18th asked about the income and expenditure figures for the Tunnels.
    Merseytravel used to obscure the profits and give the impression that the Tunnels only just broke even. For a few reasons it is now a lot clearer. For the year starting in April the Tunnel will have expenditure of £27,316,000 and the Tolls were forecast to be £44,218,000. So the profit would have been £16.9 million, but as they cancelled the April tolls increase, the profit for the year will be ‘only’ £15.8 million.

  15. Dear Mr John McGoldrick thank you so much for clarifying the tunnels income
    & expenditure which makes very interesting reading surely the profit for one or two years could pay of the tunnels finance debt/mortgage & instead of Merseytravel spending the surplus in other areas & maintaining a toll but not increasing them bearing in mind the vast profit the tunnels make or is that to simple.

    1. If Merseytravel had not been taking the profits then the debt would have been paid off years ago.
      There are two reasons that they didn’t pay off the debt.
      The obvious one is that they would then have less profits for themselves.
      The less obvious one is that under the Tunnels Acts, if all the debt is paid off, then they have to review the tolls.

  16. G’day John

    I hope the reason you are not commenting is for the reason I think.

    So as “The Shyster” tells all the liars

    “KEEP YOUR GOB SHUT”

    Luv you and your work

    Ooroo

    James

  17. Mr Griffiths, do not let them grind you down and please pay attention to what is being written. ooeerooee, the cannook

  18. G’day John

    Today’s rubbish paper from over “The Football Shits” Stella’s water.

    Merseyside to miss out on €100m EU cash after Supreme Court rejects Liverpool council appeal

    Why oh why would they ever give money to Wirral after their disgraceful behaviour over Wirral “Funny” Bizz.

    And the Super Duper Duper Director standing purple faced in public saying it is not our money.

    Ooroo

    James

    I bet they were celebrating in Hooligans Bar last night at the closure of Lyndale.

    I still believe it will be saved….because it is only right.

Comments are closed.