Agenda and minutes

          The minutes of the meeting of Council held on 4 December 2024 were taken as read and signed as a correct record.

N.B. Councillors Thompson and Wharton declared a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in the following item of business as they are Non-Executive Directors of Mersey Gateway Crossings Board and they left the meeting for the duration of the item.

             Council considered a report of the Director – Legal and Democratic Services, that outlined the requirement to increase the road user charge for the Mersey Gateway Crossings by 20%. On 24 October 2024, the Executive Board had considered a report to increase tolls and set out a number of proposed changes to the current arrangements. The proposals were addressed in an updated draft Road User Charging Scheme Order (RUCSO) that was appended to the report and Council resolved to conduct a consultation on the proposed revised RUCSO.

          The consultation ran from 4 November 2024 to 16 December 2024 (inclusive). The Mersey Gateway Crossings Board had prepared a report on the consultation responses which was attached to the report at Appendix 2. The report requested the Council to make the RUCSO in the form detailed in Appendix 1.

             RESOLVED: That the Council after giving full and proper consideration to the responses received to the consultation, and having taken them into account

1)    confirm that no further consultation is required in respect of the updated RUCSO;

2)    confirm that no public inquiry is required to be held into the making of the updated RUCSO; and

3)    make the updated RUCSO in the form (or substantially the same form) as that at Appendix 1 and delegate to the Director (Legal & Democratic Services) in consultation with the Portfolio Holder, the authority to take all necessary steps to bring the RUCSO into effect and make any non-material or consequential amendments as are necessary to enable the updated RUCSO to be made.