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.