Tolled Crossings and Regional Connectivity

Debate between Anna Gelderd and Ben Maguire

Monday 2nd February 2026 Commons Chamber

[Anna Gelderd (South East Cornwall) (Lab)]

Meur ras, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am pleased to have secured a debate on this issue, which I have campaigned on consistently since becoming the Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall, and which has existed for many years before my time in this House. It is an issue that I hear about daily because of its impact on almost every aspect of local life. I want to thank local residents, community groups—including the Tamar Toll action group and Safe38—previous MPs, local councillors and Tamar Crossings for their efforts to improve our local transport connectivity.

South East Cornwall is a place that bridges the old and the new. Our communities continue to bring life to historic fishing villages and welcome thousands of tourists annually, while also looking to the future, with advanced defence capabilities, artificial intelligence and digital industries, and world-leading regenerative agriculture. To fully play our part in the next decade of national renewal, we must bridge the gap, both physically and metaphorically, between Cornwall and the rest of the country. That includes the seamless integration of my communities with the new Plymouth defence deal in order to unlock opportunity in one of the poorest areas in western Europe and ensure that South East Cornwall is fully connected to the growth, security and prosperity that the deal will bring.

At its heart, this issue is about how we connect to places and services, how communities function, and how nationally significant infrastructure is sustained. It raises a fundamental question about whether our current connectivity policies reflect the lived reality in rural and coastal areas like mine and whether historical funding models still work in a modern economy.

[Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) (LD)]

Does the hon. Member agree that a real devolution deal, similar to those enjoyed by our Celtic cousins, must include a roads budget that is equivalent to the Cornish proportion of the strategic road network? Equating to around £95 million a year, it could easily make the Tamar toll free, at around £15 million a year, and leave further funds for urgent upgrades such as the A38 in her constituency, a Camelford relief road and—

[Madam Deputy Speaker (Caroline Nokes)]

Order. Interventions must be brief, but as it is so long before 10 pm, Members could make a speech if they so wish.

--- Later in debate ---

[Ben Maguire]

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention, and hopefully he and I can make the argument to the Minister and her colleagues that some of that money should go to the Tamar bridge.

There are certainly other road projects across Cornwall. The hon. Member for South East Cornwall spoke passionately about the A38, which my constituents frequently raise with me, and hopefully that is another project that can be funded from the large amount of money we are hearing is coming to Cornwall’s road network. There are also much-needed safety upgrades at Plusha in my constituency. I have met the Minister on numerous occasions, so I know she is aware of the upgrades to the Camelford relief road, which have been promised for many years.

As I have mentioned, I really hope that a devolution deal will now be forthcoming in which we see the equivalent of the Cornish proportion of the strategic road network, which is around £96 million a year. This evening, we have talked about making the Tamar toll crossing cheaper for local residents, or potentially removing the toll altogether at a cost of around £15 million a year. In their devolution deals, our Celtic cousins enjoy a budget equivalent to the amount of the road network they have in their nations, and that would leave plenty of money left over for the A30 upgrade that the hon. Member for South East Cornwall mentioned, and for lots of other upgrades across Cornwall.

[Anna Gelderd]

I thank the hon. Member for making that point. It is important to recognise that the future costs of these projects in Cornwall include maintenance, electrification and lots of other elements. That means we must work together with concrete resources to make sure that cheaper tolls are delivered for local people.

[Ben Maguire]

I absolutely agree with the hon. Member.

Finally, my Launceston constituents in North Cornwall frequently use the Tamar bridge crossing, on which they rely to access healthcare at Derriford hospital in Plymouth, so they absolutely have to make that journey. It is not a shopping trip or a leisure trip; they really need to make that journey. It takes around two hours by public transport to get to the hospital, and it takes almost one hour to get there by car, which is still quite staggering. On top of the fuel costs and the costs of running a car, they have to pay this £3 charge, and that is before we get to the extortionate cost of the hospital car park once they arrive. I urge the Minister to factor that into the Department’s thinking, because this is not just about leisure trips. We are talking about vital healthcare.