Govt refuses to abolish Severn Bridge tolls
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THE GOVERNMENT will not abolish tolls on the Severn Bridge as a result of a High Court ruling last week that the recent increases were Transport Minister Lynda Chalker told MPs that the Government would return to the 1979 toll rule of 40p per lorry until it had been decided whether or not to appeal against the judgment.
Labour spokesman Alan Williams said that Transport Secretary Nicholas Ridley should resign after his third defeat in the courts. "The poor man is becoming a persistent offender,he jibed, but Chalker defended Ridley and pointed out that it was the inspector rather than Ridley who was at fault.
The inspector had not commented upon judgments to the increases as he had decided they were outside the scope for the inquiry.
Defending the decision to increase tolls by 150 per cent. Chalker pointed OM that the level of increase had not kept up anything like with inflation.