Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity

Alison Taylor Excerpts

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Anna Gelderd]

I thank the hon. Member for his intervention. I will come to that point later in my speech.

There is a clear and well-established link between transport and inequality. Research undertaken in 2019 for the Department for Transport shows that transport shapes life chances through three factors: where people live and their socioeconomic position; where opportunities such as jobs and education are located; and how accessible the transport system is in terms of cost, reliability, geography and journey time. The research also shows that transport does not affect everyone equally; experience changes due to income, location and personal circumstance. In rural and coastal areas such as South East Cornwall, transport that is affordable and reliable could expand our opportunities.

Cost is consistently identified as one of the most significant barriers to opportunity. Policies that reduce transport costs help people to access and sustain employment, particularly those on lower incomes. However, that same Department for Transport research makes clear that transport policy works best when embedded in a place-based approach that is linked to the skills, housing, employment and economic opportunities on offer locally.

South East Cornwall is shaped by rivers and coastline that define our landscape and our communities. Our connectivity depends on a number of strategic crossings that function as everyday routes to employment, education, healthcare and social connection. Those are not optional journeys; they are essential links within a tightly connected economic and social region.

What makes South East Cornwall unusual is the concentration of tolled crossings that residents rely on daily. The Tamar bridge, Torpoint ferry, Cremyll ferry, Polruan ferry and Bodinnick ferry are part of daily life. For many local residents and businesses, one or more of those crossings are used routinely, sometimes multiple times a day. The total cost is significant, and that is simply to participate in ordinary life. This has shaped my constituency for decades. It affects where people can work, which services they can realistically access and how businesses operate. Despite the scale and impact of the crossings, we still have not found a workable long-term solution.

Travel from towns and villages in South East Cornwall to Plymouth—our nearest city—often takes far longer than distance alone suggests. Short journeys on a map can become long, expensive and uncertain in practice. The Tamar bridge and Torpoint ferry are the only viable crossings linking South East Cornwall with Plymouth and up-country. Around 16 million vehicle crossings take place each year, with thousands of residents relying on them daily to reach work. There is no practical alternative direct route, meaning that the crossings function as essential infrastructure to local people.

The Tamar bridge is publicly owned and jointly operated by Cornwall council and Plymouth city council. In the 1950s, both authorities sought national funding for a fixed crossing. When that funding was not forthcoming, they proceeded with a locally financed scheme funded through tolls. Parliamentary powers were granted through the Tamar Bridge Act 1957, which established the joint committee that continues to operate both the bridge and the ferry as a single business unit, with all operations, maintenance and improvements funded entirely through toll income.

The Torpoint ferry is the busiest vehicle crossing of any estuary in the United Kingdom, carrying nearly 2 million vehicles each year, including mine many times. The TamarTag has helped some regular users, including myself, but minimum top-ups, usability issues and recent proposed increases in admin fees have undermined its purpose. The infrastructure must be maintained, but affordability, transparency and trust are also essential.

Research in 2019 for the Department for Transport examined the relationship between transport access and life opportunities, and the findings were stark. Access to a personal car makes someone nearly four times more likely to be in employment than not in employment. Access to services follows a similar pattern: those who have access to their own car are twice as likely to reach essential services.

Transport also shapes social participation. Car access makes people more likely to maintain social connections, particularly those with mobility impairments and those living in rural areas. Transport therefore affects isolation, wellbeing and quality of life. Geography amplifies those pressures. Water boundaries fragment travel patterns and isolate communities. Where tolls apply, they add a financial barrier on top of the physical separation. For many households, the costs are unavoidable.

[Alison Taylor (Paisley and Renfrewshire North) (Lab)]

Does my hon. Friend agree that there would also be an environmental cost to not using the crossings, because vehicles have to travel longer distances, since usually the crossings present the straight and most direct route?

[Anna Gelderd]

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the environmental impacts, which I will come to later. Geography amplifies the pressures, and the water boundaries bring a particular problem.

For a standard car journey, it costs £3 to leave Cornwall on both the Tamar bridge and Torpoint ferry. The Cremyll ferry charges £3 per adult for a single journey, and other crossings in that area charge a similar amount. Some local resident concessions exist, but recent proposed increases in admin costs triggered significant concern, because the total amount is unaffordable for many people.

The Tamar Toll Action Group, along with myself and other MPs, called for a rethink, and there was an extraordinary meeting of local authorities. Some may argue that the prices are not extreme, but they add up quickly. I was glad that the meeting happened and that changes were considered. Average incomes in South East Cornwall are around 20% below the national median, and residents cross have to use the crossing frequently, so the costs do add up for those in the local communities.

There is clear evidence of isolation across parts of South East Cornwall and wider Cornwall. Some communities fall within recognised measures of poor accessibility in both travel time and services. Digital connectivity adds to the pressure, as broadband and mobile coverage remain inconsistent, which limits remote working, access to online services and business development. That reinforces physical isolation rather than easing it.

Digital connectivity is increasingly important alongside physical transport. Research by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport highlights the negative impacts of poor broadband on farmers, including reduced productivity, compliance challenges, and limited market access, which is really important for South East Cornwall. High-speed broadband supports economic growth, productivity and educational outcomes.

We have the foundations for a modern, flexible economy in South East Cornwall. People want to live there, work there and build businesses there. The well-known “surf and code” model seen in places such as California and Portugal reflects a real opportunity to combine the quality of life in the coastal and rural areas of Devon and Cornwall with work, but that depends on sustained investment in physical connectivity and other types of connectivity, including digital.

Currently our public transport does not bridge the gap. Bus services are often infrequent, and ferry services are essential but shaped by the costs that I have mentioned. When disruption occurs, the system offers little flexibility. Bus services in South East Cornwall fell by around 50% between 2010 and 2023. The Conservatives stripped those in our rural and coastal communities of the ability to get around, and then systematically dismantled our public services too. Those pressures have gone on for far too long and communities like mine need support.

Cornwall’s rail connectivity depends on a single line through Dawlish. Recent storm damage again highlights the fragility of that route, following the collapse of the sea wall in 2014. Climate change is accelerating faster than our adaptation, and resilience must be built into long-term infrastructure planning. Phase 6 of the Dawlish resilience work and the reopening of the Tavistock line remain shared aspirations for Cornwall and Devon. What comes next must be credible, long-term and capable of carrying the confidence of south-west communities. Existing Department for Transport investment should be leveraged alongside local and regional funding to improve resilience and open new routes.

Anyone who has visited Cornwall will know and understand that our road network remains a challenge. Country lanes are often narrow, overgrown and dangerous. The A38, which remains the main route in South East Cornwall, has claimed too many lives—the recent safety upgrades are welcome, and I pay tribute to all involved in making them possible for our area. The transport constraints we face carry economic consequences. Businesses face higher operating costs and reduced labour pools. Tradespeople absorb toll charges that competitors elsewhere simply do not face.