MONMOUTH MP David Davies has taken the campaign to freeze the Severn Bridge tolls direct to Parliament.
Mr Davies used the annual St David’s Day debate in the House of Commons to urge the Government to give businesses and communities who use the Severn Crossings the same commitment recently given to users of the Humber Bridge.
Speaking during the debate, Mr Davies said: “The Secretary of State (for Wales) spoke first about the economy, and rightly so. He painted a rosy picture.
“One thing he certainly did not mention was the Severn Bridge and its impact on the economy in Wales at the moment. He must be perfectly well aware that the Humber Bridge has had a freeze put on any increases in tolls as a result, the Government said, of the bad economic crisis.
“I have looked at the matter and users of the Humber Bridge pay roughly the same as users of the Severn Bridge, albeit that the charging mechanism is slightly different.
“I cannot understand why people living in the Humber area of England can escape a rise in fees - I wish them all the best and I do not criticise the Government for that – while Welsh people, especially those living in south Wales who commute over the Severn Bridge every day, are being treated like second-class citizens and are not being given the same rights as people living in the Humber area.
“Could it be that there is a Labour marginal seat in Humber and that the Government are simply trying to buy votes? I would welcome clarification from the Minister with responsibility for that”.