A PUBLIC consultation is to be held into controversial plans to raise the monthly fee paid by motorists who use a pre-paid tag to cross the River Tamar.

The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee, which operates the crossings, had previously voted to increase the monthly charge for tag users from 80p to £2.

The tag allows regular users to receive a 50 per cent discount on tolls, but the proposed increase sparked major concern among commuters and businesses on both sides of the Tamar.

However, at a meeting held on Monday in Plymouth City Council chambers, committee members voted unanimously to pause any increase and instead seek public views.

Councillors agreed that the monthly tag fee should remain at its current rate of 80p for now, while they also approved plans for a formal consultation and engagement exercise on whether the fee should rise in the future and on related issues, with the results to be reported back to a later committee meeting.

The consultation will be led by Tamar Crossings chief officer, Philip Robinson, who will also approve the final questions in discussion with the joint chairs, Cllr Andrew Long and Cllr Anne Freeman.

Up to £10,000 has been allocated from existing budgets to fund the exercise.

Crucially, members also agreed there should be no increase in the tag fee until the chief officer has reported back with a list of savings and reductions in projected costs for the bridge and ferry operation.

In a further move, the joint chairs were instructed to urgently organise a meeting with local MPs — Anna Gelderd (South East Cornwall), Fred Thomas (Plymouth Moor View), Luke Pollard (Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport) and Ben Maguire (North Cornwall) — along with council leaders and senior officers from both Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council, to explore what support central government could offer to reduce costs. The committee said the aim was to avoid toll or fee increases and to work towards the long-term abolition of tolls for the benefit of residents and the local economy.

The chairs will also write to the four MPs and the Secretary of State for Transport, calling for a £499,999-a-year Devon and Cornwall infrastructure revenue grant to support the Tamar crossings.

The committee additionally agreed to recommend that Plymouth City Council and Cornwall Council approve the 2026/27 revenue budget, capital programme and draft business plan, noting forecasts through to 2028/29.

Following today’s meeting, Scott Slavin, vice chair of the Tamar Toll Action Group, described today’s vote as a ‘positive step’, adding the outcome of the consultation would depend heavily on how the questions were framed.

“If the consultation simply asks people whether they want to pay more, then it’s a waste of money,” he said. “People will say no — I can tell you that now. What matters is whether the consultation is fair, balanced and genuinely looks at the wider impacts.”

Mr Slavin said campaigners were encouraged by the attitude of the new joint chairs and the committee, whom he said appeared committed to ensuring the consultation process was conducted properly, but also highlighted the impact on local commuters and businesses, saying some firms based in Saltash were paying between £6,000 and £7,000 a month in charges.

“Those costs don’t disappear,” he said. “They are passed on to customers. Even with the tag discount, this is a tough tax.”

Mr Slavin reiterated the issue should not be seen as affecting only a small number of MPs or communities. He called for wider political involvement, noting that account holders come from across Devon and Cornwall, including Exeter, Torquay and Truro.

“This isn’t just about three or four MPs or the board of the crossings — it affects the entire region,” he said. “We’d like to see MPs across Devon and Cornwall working together on this.”

He described the committee’s decision to pause the increase as “a battle won, but not the end of the fight”, adding the role of the Tamar Toll Action Group would now be to maintain public pressure, keep residents informed and encourage people to engage with their MPs.

“The Government takes a lot of tax from the South West,” he said. “It’s time some of that came back. This should be funded nationally.”

Mr Slavin was among 12 members of the public who put questions to the committee and officers, including Mr Robinson, who said afterwards: “The level of public opposition was pretty much what we expected. Nobody wants to pay more for something. I think today affords us an opportunity to provide some context, some detail behind the decision-making, and an understanding that there are some alternatives that we consider the least painful option in terms of balancing the books.”

Meanwhile, Ms Gelderd added: “I know that we need cheaper, fairer tolls for local people in South East Cornwall. Residents are dependent on crossing the Tamar, for school, work, healthcare appointments and to see family and friends. No one should be denied access to services due to rising toll charges.

“The consultation is a good step to ensure transparency, but I will continue to call on all involved to fully consider the needs of locals in South East Cornwall.”