Charity cash plan for tunnel toll overspend is slammed

Jun 22 2011 by John Siddle, Heswall News

MORE than £12,000 was taken by Merseytravel from Mersey Tunnel drivers without the correct change over the past financial year.

As automatic toll booths do not give back any coins to those unable to pay the exact fee, many motorists are forced to pay more than is due.

Revealing the overspend, the transport authority is now set to plough the excess cash back into local charities.

But anti-toll campaigners have called the move a “robbery” of tunnel users.

The five Merseyside authorities, whose taxpayer levies help to fund Merseytravel, will each benefit by £2,000.

Cheques will be presented to the councils’ mayors for their chosen charities, with the remaining money donated to Clatterbridge, Your Cancer Centre, Merseytravel’s own corporate charity.

In a report, chief executive Neil Scales said: “One of the methods for payment for driving through the Mersey Tunnel is to put coins in a basket, which is able to calculate whether or not the monies due has been received.

“This is intended for drivers with the correct change, so they do not have to attend a manned booth.

“However, many drivers choose to submit cash into the baskets and forego the change. For the financial year 2010-11, this overpayment has amounted to just over £12,000.”

While admitting that the move could cause “complaints from members of the public” Merseytravel insists it is the fairest solution.

Sefton councillor John Dodd sits on the Merseytravel policy committee. He said: “I think it is an excellent idea. Instead of just pocketing the money, Merseytravel has divided the overpayments between the five boroughs of Merseyside and its own charity.”

The Mersey Tunnel Users Association last year unsuccessfully complained to the District Auditor of the legality of donating overpayments to charity, claiming “it was not permitted use of revenue”.

Group secretary John McGoldrick said: “As far as I am concerned this is just robbery. For Merseytravel to act like fairy godmothers with money that drivers have been forced to pay is wrong.

“The overpayments, often, are a result of poor machinery because the booths do not recognise when money is thrown in. If we must have tolls at all, then they should be able to function properly and give change.”