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Morval Parish Council

TamarTag consultation

Introduction

Tamar Crossings – the Tamar Bridge and the Torpoint Ferry – are owned by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council and operated by a Joint Committee on their behalf. 

In spring 2024, Tamar Crossings applied to the Department for Transport for a toll increase. This is a legal process and only the Government can approve changes to the toll. The increase was set at the minimum level needed to: 

Following Government approval, the toll increase was implemented in May 2025. However, as part of an ongoing financial review, Tamar Crossings have found that the administration of the Tamar Tag scheme currently costs more than it generates from the monthly admin fee, meaning other parts of the business are subsidising it. This is not financially sustainable. 

 How is Tamar Crossings funded?

Unlike many transport services, we do not receive any regular funding from Government or from either Council. Everything we do is mostly funded through toll income from you, the people using our crossings.  

Our income depends on how many vehicles use the crossings, and the toll and discount levels in place. In recent years, traffic levels have changed due to factors such as: 

At the same time, our costs continue to rise due to: 

In simple terms, if our costs are higher than our income, our reserves start to run out and we are legally required to maintain a prudent minimum reserve since Cornwall and Plymouth Councils (as joint owners) cannot fund a shortfall. If reserves are fully depleted and no action is taken, there is no external funding available to cover the gap. We are at a point where our reserves are forecast to run out by 2028/29. Doing nothing is not an option, we must take action now to increase our income alongside reducing our spend. We value your input on the direction we should take next.

 What are we proposing?

The TamarTag administration fee is currently set at 80p per month, regardless of the number of crossings you make each month. The fee has remained the same since 2014 despite the rising costs described above.  

We are therefore proposing to increase the monthly administration fee to £2.00.
Increasing the administration fee to £2.00 would: 

In other words, this option allows us to protect: 

 How could this affect you?

Here are a number of examples showing how the increase in administration fee could affect you. 

Example 1: 
Person A commutes between Devon and Cornwall three times per week by car using the Tamar Bridge (12 crossings per month).  


Example 2: 
Person B attends fortnightly appointments at Derriford Hospital travelling by car from Cornwall (2 crossings per month).  


Example 3: 
Person C runs a business from Torpoint and travels in their small van 6 days per week into Plymouth via the Torpoint Ferry (24 crossings per month).  

What other options have we considered?

Before proposing any changes, we carried out a detailed review of our finances, including an independent audit and a six-month internal “deep dive” into all budgets.  

We looked at: 

On the back of the review, we have reduced our budgets and spending and where possible we are generating new income, although opportunities are limited. We are actively seeking funding from Central Government to help manage our maintenance costs, but we are mindful that these costs will continue to grow in the coming years. However, cutting costs further could mean: 

 These would lead to higher costs and greater problems in the long term. 

 

Are there any alternative options available?

We identified the administration fee increase as the option that would have the lowest impact on user's costs without sacrificing any quality of service. However there are a few alternatives to increasing the administration fee [info from survey questions- team to advise].

  1. Freeze the fee and increase the toll: We would need to apply to the Department for Transport for permission to do this. Having only recently implemented higher tolls and considering the amount of time taken to request and approve the increase, this is not considered a viable option.
     
  2. Freeze the fee and reduce the discount: We could reduce the discount offered with the TamarTag. The discount is currently set at 50% of the standard crossing fee but we could reduce it (e.g. 40%) instead of increasing the administration fee. Tamar Crossings is responsible for the level of discount offered so would not need to apply to the Department for Transport to make such a change.
  3. Increase the toll in line with inflation: We are considering introducing an annual increase to the Tamar Crossings fee to reflect inflation. We will need to apply to the Department for Transport for permission to do this, so this is not a viable short term solution.
  4. Apply the admin fee to each Tag rather than to each account: Some accounts have multiple tags, but currently only pay one admin fee.
 

What does the toll and administration fee pay for?

This income pays for: 

Any surplus is kept in reserve for major future works, but any shortfall reduces those reserves. 

What have we invested in recWhat have we invested in recently?

Over the past few years, we have carried out significant works to ensure the crossings remain safe and fit for the future, including: 

Tamar Bridge 

Torpoint Ferry 

We have also: 

These are essential long-term investments, not optional upgrades. 

 

Why your views matter

The purpose of this consultation is to help you understand the financial challenges we face and to give you the opportunity to share your views on the next steps. Our priority will always be to provide: 

We do not take changes lightly, and we are committed to being open and transparent about why we believe this proposal is necessary.  

consultation timeline

How to get involved

Consultation will run online until 6 April.  

We have published a range of FAQs on our website, these are questions that were posed as part of our webinar on 9 March. They can be accessed by clicking here.

If you feel that you need more information before completing the survey, please get in touch on consultation@tamarcrossings.org.uk or consider attending one of our drop-in sessions or webinars. 

Reference copies of the consultation material are also available to view at the Bridging the Tamar Learning Centre, Torpoint Library and Community Hub, and Saltash Library.

Please contribute to the conversation by completing our short survey linked below, the findings of which will be processed and analysed by an independent agency.

 Complete the online survey here

https://www.tamarcrossings.org.uk/about/tag-admin-consultation/

24th March 2026