A HIGH‑stakes meeting that could determine whether thousands of Tamar Crossings users face a sharp rise in Tamar Tag administration charges is set for Monday (January 12), with councillors now being asked to take a deeper look at the controversial proposal.

The extraordinary session of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee, scheduled for 10am at Plymouth’s Council House, follows a fierce public backlash and cross‑party criticism from MPs after the committee initially backed a 150 per cent increase in the monthly Tamar Tag admin fee from 80p to £2 just before Christmas.

The committee, made up of councillors from Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council, had argued that the current fee no longer covers the cost of running the electronic tolling scheme. However, the decision triggered immediate outrage from regular commuters who had already absorbed a toll rise last May, when the discounted Tamar Tag rate increased by 20p to £1.50 per crossing. Drivers without a tag now pay £3 to travel from Cornwall into Devon via the bridge or ferry.

Campaigners say the latest proposal risks placing an unfair burden on residents who rely on the crossings for work, education, healthcare and daily life. The Tamar Toll Action Group warned that the planned £24 annual admin charge would exceed what some users of other major UK crossings pay for an entire year of travel. The group said the rise would not be good for “any resident or business reliant on crossing the Tamar to go about their daily lives”.

Local MPs have also lined up against the increase. Plymouth Labour MPs Luke Pollard and Fred Thomas, along with South East Cornwall Labour MP Anna Gelderd, have urged residents to attend Monday’s meeting and make their views known. They say they were not consulted on the proposal, despite what they describe as a “new understanding” reached with the joint committee earlier in 2025 to work towards cheaper tolls for local people.

Ms Gelderd said: “Local residents in South East Cornwall use the Tamar Crossings daily for essential travel to get to work or education and to attend healthcare appointments. An admin fee increase on the TamarTag affects local users and should be stopped.

“Maintaining services on the Tamar Bridge and the Torpoint Ferry is crucial but we must work collectively to find an alternative long-term plan.”

In response to the growing pressure, committee chairs Cllr Andrew Long (Cornwall Council) and Cllr Anne Freeman (Plymouth City Council) have confirmed that councillors will now be asked to scrutinise the proposal in greater depth before any decision feeds into the councils’ budget‑setting processes.

They say the additional review will ensure the financial case – and the impact on residents – is fully understood.

Cllr Long said: “It remains the view of the committee that the only long-term solution to this is to get a toll-free crossing of the Tamar and we are pushing for the two authorities, the MPs and the UK Government to get a solution in place as soon as possible.”