Scot who led toll free revolution says same can happen to Mersey Tunnels

Apr 5 2008 by David Bartlett, Liverpool Daily Post

THE man who played a key role in ending the final tolls on bridges in Scotland has said he believes his efforts will help campaigners make the Mersey tunnels free.

Former businessman and entrepreneur Tom Minogue, 63, kick-started a campaign and even stood for Parliament on the single issue anti-toll campaign.

He said the success was “a bit of a freak” because of the political circumstances in the Fife area of Scotland where he lives, but Merseyside could still follow suit.

He said the sitting MP had died triggering a by-election just after a public inquiry into a proposed toll increase from 80 pence to £1.

This inquiry was initiated by the objection to the increase from just one man, George Campbell, and Tom Minogue said he was appalled by his treatment from politicians and went to support him at the inquiry.

Mr Minogue, who had built up his own engineering business employing around 200 people before retiring five years ago, decided to stand in the vacant Parliamentary seat for his own Demolish Forth Bridge Tolls party.

He said: “The Skye bridge tolls, after years of campaigning, were gone and now the people of Fife were going to have the only two tolled bridges in the country.”

He said other political parties saw the change in public opinion and “jumped on the bandwagon” and although he only received 374 votes the issue was taken up and successfully pushed through.

He said: “They stole my clothes but it didn’t matter because the Liberal Democrat won – it was on the issue of taking away the tolls.

“And the SNP got in with a mandate to scrap tolls and had to go through with it.”

He said the fact that Scotland is now toll-free could push the campaign in Merseyside, led by the Mersey Tunnel Users Association.

Head of that organisation, John McGoldrick, is also co-ordinator of the National Alliance Against Tolls which played a key role in helping Tom Minogue’s campaign.

Mr Minogue said: “I have many fond memories of Liverpool and Birkenhead where I spent some time as a merchant seaman in the sixties.

“I am most surprised that the people using the Mersey Tunnel allow the unfair toll tax to continue. And it is ironic that John McGoldrick from the Wirral played a major role in making Scotland a toll-free country yet can’t persuade his local population of the unfairness of the tolls.”