OPPOSITION to the latest changes to the Mersey Gateway rules were discussed at a public meeting held by anti-toll campaigners last night.

Scrap the Mersey Tolls, a campaign group with almost 5,000 members, is hosting the event on Wednesday to discuss further protests against the controversial tolls.

The group, who claims the charges are divisive and and harm the local community, have been campaigning for Halton Council to scrap all tolls on the bridge since it opened last October.

They have described recent changes to the Mersey Gateway rules as a “smokescreen” for getting out of a Traffic Penalty Tribunal (TPT) ruling that said the toll charges could be illegal because they weren’t specified clearly enough.

Halton Council passed a new Road User Charging Scheme Order (RUCSO) last Wednesday that widened the criteria to allow more drivers be eligible for free crossings.

At the same time, it clarified the exact sum of the tolls, after the TPT  ruled they could be illegal because the exact price was not made clear enough in the council’s charging order.

The previous order did not make it clear that toll charges would be £2 and only specified a range of what the toll charges could be.

Last month the TPT said that in its view this did not comply with the Transport Act 2000, putting into question the legality of all toll charges issued so far.

At the time of the TPT ruling, celebrity motoring lawyer Nick Freeman said he thought the council would have to refund every fee charged since the bridge first opened if the decision were upheld.

Halton Council denied the toll charges were illegal  and said their independent legal advisers judged the road user order to be ‘legally sound’.

However, they updated that same RUCSO last week to allow more people to access free travel across the bridge, whilst clarifying the toll charges in line with the TPT ruling.

The new RUCSO granted free travel to local residents in tax bands G and H who are in apprenticeships or in full time education.

It also widened the exemptions register to include more A&E and ambulance services, such as vehicles used for the transport of blood, plasma or human organs.

Tractor drivers will also get free travel across the bridge, as well as residents from Halton who are on various disability allowances and have a disability that prevents them from driving, but who are not eligible blue badge holders.

Campaigner John McGoldrick, 71, who is on the Scrap Mersey Tolls committee, described the new exemptions as  “trivial”  and said they would benefit only a small amount of people.

He claims they are an attempt by Halton Council to wriggle out of a jam instead of acknowledging their mistake.

Mr McGoldrick said: “Given that they have changed the law, what are they going to do about the tolls that have been illegal up to now? “

Around 20 anti-toll campaigners lobbied the Halton Council meeting when the new RUCSO was passed,  chanting “scrap the tolls or lose at the polls” as councillors entered the Runcorn Town Hall.

Tomorrow, they plan to discuss further steps to put pressure on Halton council to accept the TPT ruling and in the long term scrap the tolls.

The meeting was held at Mill Brow Snooker & Social Club in Widnes.

John McGoldrick said: “The aim of this meeting is to keep the ball rolling and to get new ideas and new people to help in the campaign to rid the Mersey of tolls, both on the bridges and the Tunnels.

“At the meeting we will be discussing a lot of possible action that the group and individuals could take. The biggest issue is likely to be the Traffic Penalty Tribunal decision that the Mersey Gateway tolls and penalties are illegal.

“The council have asked the Tribunal to review that decision and the hearing is on the 8th May in Runcorn. Whatever comes out of that review there is the possibility of legal action by our group.”

A spokesperson from Mersey Gateway said they were not in a position to comment on the TPT ruling and what effect their new RUCSO might have in relation to that.

However they said that the new toll exemptions  reflected a 6 month review of the operation of the bridge.

Halton Council also issued a statement that said they made the decision to approve the new RUCSO based on the findings of a public consultation which took place between March 8 and March 29, 2018.