30/03/2012 Look North (East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire)

Good evening and welcome to BBC Look North for a special programme

about the Humber Bridge. The headlines tonight... As tolls come

down the Chancellor tells BBC Look North it will be a multi million

pound boost to the local economy. This cut will boost the economy by

about �250 million. As the changes are made, who will benefit most?

We'll tell you what a survey for this programme suggests. Toll free

for four years - the lessons from Scotland about what the future

holds. The air those in Scotland who believes the Humber has much to

learn from their experience. -- there are those. And we'll look at

the controversial history of this much loved landmark. The sunniest

march on record across parts of the region, but it is about to end.

When the Humber Bridge opened it was supposed to bring together the

North and South banks of the river. But for the last three decades the

cost of crossing the bridge has been seen as a barrier to economic

growth. Now after a long campaign, this weekend will see the bridge

tolls finally come down, halved for cars and cuts for all. We're live

tonight from a boat on the Humber to find out what that could mean

for our economy. The Chancellor said exclusive interview said he

believes the boost to businesses will be �250 million. We

commissioned our own research which suggested an overwhelming 95% of

people think this community will benefit from the cuts. 500 people

were questioned. Most people said the main advantage would come from

and for commuters. More from our political Editor... As dawn breaks

over the Humber this has been the scene on countless mornings, with

commuters meeting at this car park to try to save money on tolls.

we meet every morning, share over the bridge which saves us about

�400 a year. Over the Mersey tunnel, then in Wales, it seemed to be

disproportionate here. Of the regular users questioned 55%

suggest they will use the bridge more frequently when the tolls are

reduced. In many ways, reducing the tolls is a gamble for the

government. It will cost �115 million in taxpayers' money. The

Chancellor believes the long-term impact on the regional economy will

be huge. The evidence we have is that this cut will boost the local

economy by around �250 million. So it is good for jobs, people looking

for work, they will be able to find it on the other side of the river

if they don't have in now. Kate uses the bridge most days to travel

from her home in north Lincolnshire to the north bank where she works

as a nail technician. It is a journey which costs and more than

�100 a month in bridge tolls. book is �54. There are 20 tickets

and a book. It will be so much better. I don't have to think I

really have so many people in today, I will not break-even, then have to

rearrange them. It will only be �3 a day instead of �6. Much better.

Asked who will benefit the most 53% said commuters. Compared with 17%

who believe the main beneficiaries will be those who use the bridge

for leisure activities such as concerts and sport. 10% believe

shoppers will benefit most. Recruitment consultants believe new

job market will open up on both sides of the Humber. The reduction

in the cost of the tolls will only appeal better to people looking for

work and they will be prepared to travel further for that opportunity.

Not everyone believes Lower Bridge tolls will bring widespread

economic benefits. Jim runs a job club for the unemployed in north

Lincolnshire. If you take the �15 a week reduction in paying the toll

back and forward each day that is more than being eaten up by the

rising cost in petrol and diesel. For people around the minimum wage

they will not really see a significant advantage. We have had

rising unemployment amongst young people, job losses, this will not

be a panacea. A a thing sometimes East Yorkshire has been forgotten

by government over the last couple of decades. I hope you will see a

real commitment to East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire with the

Humber Bridge tolls, many politicians promise to cut them

before, we actually have. It seems the majority of people believe the

lower cost of crossing the Humber will reflect positively on the

economic outlook in this part of Well, with me now is businesman

Malcolm Scott who had had his own plan to buy the Bridge and bring

down tolls. Good evening. Are you disappointed you're not the man?

The idea was to remove the debt, reduce the tolls and have a radical

change in the government's structure of the bridge and all

those matters have been dealt with. In a way, you started the debate,

you pushed it. I hope so. I just took on board would have been done

before and many people from different places have been fighting

to remove the tolls totally and when that was not possible, to get

the best settlement. How happy are you with the solution we have?

concerned it is not sustainable as far as I can see it. There is a

future risk of the debt not being dealt with that properly. But what

a great weekend. You think we could go back to where we are again in

the future? We have to be so grateful. If we have bought one

year ago we would be standing here on this boat in front of the bridge

talking about the tolls coming down, it is a great day. Let's enjoy it!

George Osborne brings 250 million will be a boost to local businesses,

what impact do you think it will have? That is consistent with the

Buchanan study that said if they came down to �1 rather than one per

and 50 there would be 300 million a over the period. The major

beneficiaries are the individuals enjoying the social side of using

the bridge. Economics comes off the back of that. If you're an employee

now travelling across the bridge every day, it cost to roughly

�2,000 in gross income, that his heart. And haulage companies?

have come down for them by one third, which is encouraging but it

is unlikely to have an immediate impact. We need security that they

will not increase over time that gives businesses confidence to

invest in the region. Good news. Good to see you on board. Thank you.

Let's have a quick reminder now of why prices are coming down.

Historically the tolls have been high because of the large debt owed

by the bridge. The government has cut that debt by �150 million. That

leaves �182 million underwritten by the four local authorities around

the bridge. However, it's enough for a cut that will see cars pay

half, down to �1.50 per trip. Even better news for bikers - motorbikes

will now travel for free. And for the heaviest lorries it's a cut

from �20.30 to �12. Well, in Scotland they went one step further

and abolished all tolls for bridge crossings. It's been free since

2008. Again the argument was that scrapping tolls would boost the

economy. So four years on has it worked? Our Business Correspondent

Paul Murphy has been to the Forth Bridge near Edinburgh to find out.

It has a similarity to its Humber cousin, the bridge also divides two

distinct communities, urban Edinburgh from rural Fife. And it

has also fuelled decades of political debate. Businessman Alan

Russell lobbied to get tolls scrapped here four years ago but

now says even toll abolition has not created an economic miracle.

think we are talking about a small cost which is almost a token

contribution to the cost of running a bridge. Reduce that cost, or take

it away, then people are happy with that but does it change their

travel patterns? No. The comparison between the bridges will always be

difficult to make in terms of the cost of the tolls. It was only ever

�1 to cross here before the tolls were abolished completely but there

are those here who believe the Humber has much to learn from their

experience. Down the road at Edinburgh University I met a former

Yorkshire man who believes the economic benefits of reducing the

Humber Bridge toll are being greatly exaggerated. They will have

a marginal impact on the economic good performance of the area. If

you want to improve the economy of the area you have to look at the

constraints on the performance of that area and they are unlikely to

be bridged toll -- bridge tolls. It is likely to be structural changes,

the educational attainment of the training of the workforce,

workforce quality. But the experience here suggests people

have become more mobile, particularly for shopping and

leisure. On the banks of the 4th, Paul runs a seafood restaurant and

has views about the cutting of the tolls. I think it will encourage

people more to use the bridge and go further afield because it will

not be more expensive which in terms of the economy and the other

side of the bridge will have an impact. Four years on from the top

gutsier they say there is little evidence of net economic benefit

but spending within the existing economy is much more mobile and the

opportunity which comes from that freedom of movement is what the

Well, Paul Murphy is back from Scotland and he's at the Bridge now.

So from what you saw in Edinburgh who are the winners when tolls go

down? The obvious winners are the regular users. We worked out that

if you move back and forth every day of the week you save around

�500 a year as a motorist. Apart from that, there are discretionary

users who might travel more to restaurants and theatres on either

side of the Humber. Will it be used the regional economy? The

Chancellor certainly thinks so. That said, he is spending 150

million of taxpayers' money in reducing the tolls so it will be

extraordinary if he said anything else. -- would be extraordinary. On

Monday the local economic partnership is announcing

enterprise zones on both sides of the Humber offering huge tax breaks

to business. That is part of the big strategy here. The reduction is

not the silver bullet but when combined with other things going on

it is hoped they will collectively Contact us to let us know what you

think. What difference will toll We look forward to hearing from you.

Still to come: Take all the wire and a rapid end to end, that would

go around the world price. Are agreed to things you never knew

about the Humber Bridge. And we will have the weather later.

We have a treat tonight. A long- range forecast for April, and there

are big changes in store. Join me in a few minutes.

Let us get back to the studio for the rest of the news.

Anglian Water says the current drought affecting allah region is

the worst they have ever seen. The comments come after a two dry

winters which have left reservoirs at low levels. Last week fish had

to be moved from one river because of worries that be dry up. A

hosepipe ban is expected to come into effect on Thursday. Students

had been protesting about the decision to end A-level teaching

and some GCSEs at the Grimsby Institute. More than 70 pupils are

affected. The institute insists the change is in line with government

back games. Students mean they will have to move schools and the travel

costs will increase. It is five pts 70 per day return. A lot of people

come from places where there is no regular service bus. There is no

college bus, so it costs me �12 per day. It would not be possible for

me. 5,000 litres of engine oil has been dumped across three locations

in Lincolnshire. Three separate incidents took place across three

days. The oil was fined across -- near the A46.

And meat supplier says it has had a 10 % rise in sales over the past

year. The company supplies products to supermarkets across the country.

Although sales are up, the company says its profits are lower because

it has had to reduce prices. High street and Hull, North East

Lincolnshire, and West Lindsey are to have government cash spent on

them. The money is from the High Street Innovation Fund. It is aimed

at improving their shopping experience.

In sport Hull FC can top Super League tonight if results go their

way. First they have to defeat Bradford Bulls. They also have to

hope Warrington failed to beat St Helens.

Both are doing all K. -- both are doing OK. Nothing is one in Easter.

It is 1st September. It is not impossible to win the Super League

from outside the top two. Now back to the River Humber.

Thank you. We are on the Rebecca M. It is a

fantastic evening. The sun is just going down. This is the skipper. He

has been working hard for the last few hours. It has been quite an

ordeal. Let us have a look at what has happened behind the scenes.

Are floating studio arrived at lunchtime. All of the Ket had to be

loaded by hand. It is safety first, then we set sail. Tides on the

Humber admit that we needed an early start. It was then a pleasant

journey up the river. By 3pm we were in position. We were ready to

checkout the technical to make sure it all worked.

Although hard work is down to the technical team.

They have all done a fantastic job. Crossing the river has always been

an issue for as long as people have lived here. It took more than one

century of campaigning to actually get the bridge built. There was a

lot of rambling along the way. It has had its critics. Our reporter

looks back at the controversial history.

It was an engineering marvel when it was built, but bridging the

Humber has always been tangled up in money troubles and politics.

Before the bridge at two choices. The road round by Goole took a long

time. You could use the ferry, but people were fed up with that too.

The best way to cross the Humber is to slum it! From Victorian times

local businessmen and politicians push for something better, but the

money was not there. Bridge schemes, tunnel schemes, came and went, but

Hull was losing out. We were out on a limb. It was to

improve our communications. Abridge would be good for the area. The

Labour government could see it might be good report.

# Will they ever bridge a Humber? In 1966 transport minister Barbara

Castle announced Abridge would go ahead.

Some suspected help Labour win the seat.

In fact it took another five years before a Tory government agreed to

Geological problems, industrial disputes, strong winds, and

occasional accident all cause delays. 1970s inflation was soaring,

so also was the cost of the bridge. Not everyone was convinced it was

worth it. There is no advantage in using the bridge. This bridge goes

from nowhere to nowhere. It cost him nearly �90 million. There was

still pride when it opened, but also frustration. The job and the

bridge was as much about politics as it was about ferrying people

across the water. The debt was impossible. Everybody recognises,

but nobody did anything about it. 30 years of wrangling has finally

led to a new deal. Even with the tolls down as the bridge still have

Joining me now is the leader of Hull City Council, Stephen Brady.

Good evening. What do you think tonight? It is very choppy!

Coalition Government manage to do something that you did not do.

have made request of the years. The prices coming down. This is great.

This is a good thing. It is right for the area. How will it benefit

the region? If we cannot unite the leaders across the south and the

North! I thought you said you would not bring in politics! There is a

first for everything. Of course there is.

We want businesses working together for the interests of the region. We

will certainly go for it. Problems for this region could be on the

bridge. A of course they do. There are great opportunities coming in

that such as wind energy. The future for our region is bright.

bet you used to come across on the boat! There has never been girls!

One girl. My mother was evacuated here before the war. We have got

relatives across Humberside. As a family we have got connections on

the other side of the river. I have memories of when the Humber Bridge

opened. I was a shop steward at BP at the time. The Queen came to open

the bridge and saw the wonders of the chemical industry at the same

time. Despite his problems, and all the political wranglings, the

Humber Bridge is still a huge engineering achievement. It is an

iconic landmark. Here are some of the things that

make this bridge so great. What more do we need to know about

this landmark? I had been passed with the job of telling you as many

facts as they can in the time it takes to drive across the bridge.

Let us start with the fact that since it opened 158,770,658

vehicles have crossed the bridge. Plus one!

If an early ideas had gone ahead, it might have been a tunnel. That

was suggested as the best initial option. There was a short-lived

hover grasped service in the 1960s. First hour.

All of that wider end to end would go around the world price.

The top two towers are up slightly further apart than the other two

towers. The bridge used to be the longest single span suspension

bridge in the world. It lost that honour in 1997. It is now the 5th

longest. It does still hold the world record

for the greatest number of scooters in procession. 860 crossed in 2010.

The bridge has been immortalised in words. Philip Larkin wrote a poem

about it. North and south meet union manifest.

It also starred in the 1985 in Only Fools And Horses Christmas Special

and has had the fool top gear treatment. It is British design,

British Engineering. Just time to tell you that it takes two minutes

and 20 seconds to cross the bridge from their Hull toll booth to

Barton foreshore. It did for us anyway.

Things that you never knew. The wind is increasing now. The sun is

wind is increasing now. The sun is going down. Here is the weather: It

is a beautiful evening. We are coming to their end of an

exceptionally dry and sunny March. Climate patterns are now shifting.

April is looking very different. Much more unsettled. At times it

will be colder. There could be some decent rainfall for the first time

in a long time. Let us hope that happens because there are problems

across our region. April is looking very different indeed.

He's the sunshine on the foreshore. -- he's the sunshine.

Cloud will increase from the north- A damp and grey end to the night.

Saturday morning will be damp and overcast. The drizzle will die out

through the first have of the morning. From the north east there

should be a clearance coming in. A bright afternoon. Temperatures will

But is at 12 degrees Celsius drop. -- that is a 12 degrees Celsius

drop. Monday looks drive. Rainfall on

Tuesday. As it clears it could turn wintery. That is the forecast.

A reminder of our main stories. The Chancellor has told us that the

reduction on the tolls on the Humber Bridge will be worth �250