Toll booth Britain! Labour set to hand sweeping powers to private firms allowing them to clobber drivers with new road tolls in latest 'war on motorist'

New toll roads could spring up across the country under Labour’s latest ‘war on motorists’.Ministers are planning to hand sweeping powers to private firms who stump up the cash for road building and maintenance projects.Under proposed laws ‘slyly’ tabled this week, firms would effectively become the new highway authority and be free to clobber drivers with crippling new tolls and penalties.It raises the prospect of Dartford Crossing-style toll roads, tunnels and bridges springing up across the country at pinch points where drivers often have little choice other than to pay.It will apply to existing roads which firms upgrade as well as newly built schemes, meaning motorists face charges for using highways they currently drive on for free.While supporters argue it could unlock investment to get roads built or upgraded that the public purse can’t afford, critics say it threatens to create a ‘wild west’ patchwork of charges across the country and fear greedy firms – potentially with shareholders to please – could profiteer by hitting drivers with yet more ‘punitive’ charges.They point out, too, that motorists already shell out nearly £35billion in road tax and Fuel Duty every year, which is supposed to help fund road building and maintenance projects. The Dartford Crossing is frequently accused of being a ‘cash cow’ because tolls have continued decades after the original construction costs were fully repaid Traffic approaches the Dartford Crossing toll stretch, a major artery which connects Essex with Kent via a bridge and two tunnels under the Thames In a letter to MPs, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the new funding model 'has been successfully used in other sectors such as energy and aviation'It comes amid a blizzard of ‘anti-car’ measures since Labour came to power, including the rise of 20mph zones, which have sparked a surge in speeding tickets.Since Labour won the 2024 election, they have also announced a new pay-per-mile levy for electric and hybrid vehicles and are planning a Fuel Duty raid in the New Year which would push up pump prices even further after they spiralled following the Iran war.In July, the Mail revealed how parking tickets could more than double outside of London under proposals being considered by ministers.At present, tickets are capped at £70 but could soar to £160 under the proposals.Many councils have also hiked parking charges in a bid to boost their coffers, with some even considering a tax on workplace parking spaces.Others have introduced low emission zones, which charge older vehicles for using the roads, or congestion levies.This week it emerged one in four households in England didn’t own a car last year, the highest rate for a decade amid the dizzying array of charges and cost hikes facing drivers.The latest measures were unveiled in the Highways (Financing) Bill, which was tabled on Thursday without a written Parliamentary statement or announcement on the Department for Transport’s website.The Bill would create a new licence regime under which private firms granted a licence after building or upgrading roads would be allowed in exchange to introduce new tolls to recoup their costs.They would also be free to roll out registration plate recognition cameras to hit anyone who fails to pay with penalties.They potentially put Prime Minister Andy Burnham on a collision course with his own MPs, as they are at odds with his emphasis so far on taking infrastructure back under state control. Tory shadow transport secretary Richard Holden accused Labour of 'trying to slyly slip out plans for charging for road use' and warned of 'a wild west of punitive new charges' Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice accused Labour of 'waging a war on motorists, and working families are paying the price' AA President Edmund King said new tolls on existing roads 'would be a toll too far' given motorists already shell out nearly £35 billion a year in Fuel Duty and road tax Many on the Left of the party will likely baulk at the idea of, in effect, handing control over large bits of key infrastructure to the private sector.In a letter to MPs this week titled ‘Official-Sensitive’, but seen by the Mail, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: ‘This model is a well-established way of financing major infrastructure in England and has been successfully used in other sectors such as energy and aviation.’She cited the Thames Tideway Tunnel sewage project in the capital and planned nuclear power station Sizewell C as examples, adding: ‘In drafting this legislation we have applied the lessons learned from those projects to enable the model to work even better in the roads sector.’But it sparked a furious backlash today, with the Tories’ shadow transport secretary Richard Holden blasting: ‘It’s clear that Labour are planning a stealth tax bonanza in Andy Burnham’s first Budget [next month] when it comes to overnight accommodation and now this too.‘Labour is trying to slyly slip out plans for charging for road use – on top of their plan to raise Fuel Duty and for pay per mile - with no thought as to even capping what could be charged while potentially creating a wild west of punitive new charges.‘It’s clear Labour are trying to dodge accountability as they keep hammering away at drivers who they simply see as a cash cow.’Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice added: ‘Labour is waging a war on motorists and working families are paying the price.‘Reform UK will stand up for motorists and protect people’s freedom to travel.’AA President Edmund King said: 'Whilst drivers would welcome improvements to bottlenecks and maintenance on the strategic road network, they would want reassurance from Government that granting of a licence to private contractors does not mean these stretches of roads will be tolled.'Drivers already pay for roads with the £34 billion in fuel duty and Vehicle Excise Duty (road tax) so extra charges would be a toll too far.'The overhaul would apply to A roads and motorways and be monitored by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) regulator in a bid to ensure tolls do not become excessive.The Lower Thames Crossing, a planned major 14.5-mile road project with twin tunnels under the River Thames connecting Kent and Essex near Dartford, is pencilled in as one of the first schemes to fall under the new regime, according to Ms Alexander’s letter.But a flurry of private firms could come forward to apply for licences to control other schemes once the legislation is passed.The Bill does not specify a cap on tolls, meaning they could in theory seek permission to charge what they want.However, it does state the ORR will regulate the licence regime to ensure rates are ‘fair and transparent’ to drivers.Firms will be allowed to set rates according to ‘different days or times of day’, ‘different distances travelled’ and ‘different classes or uses of road vehicle’.The maximum penalty charge notice (PCN) for non-payment of a toll is yet to be decided and firms will have powers to use debt collectors to hound motorists who fail to pay a PCN.Some operators may even be allowed to insist motorists install devices in their vehicles as a condition of using a toll road.The Dartford Crossing, a major artery which connects Essex with Kent via a bridge and two tunnels under the Thames, is frequently accused of being a ‘cash cow’ because tolls have continued decades after the original construction costs were fully repaid.But it is owned by the government and there are fears that allowing firms to run such schemes could lead to higher charges and potential profiteering, much in the same way as private parking firms have been accused of ‘cowboy’ practices.Other high-profile toll roads which currently exist include a 27-mile stretch of the M6 in the West Midlands, the Mersey Gateway Bridge in Cheshire and the Blackwall Tunnel in east London.A Department for Transport spokesman said: ‘A licence holder would not be able to introduce new tolls without permission and any tolls introduced under this legislation will be capped and independently regulated [by the ORR].'This Government is improving conditions for drivers with a record £24 billion investment to fix roads and mend potholes, traffic jam busting infrastructure like the Lower Thames Crossing, and launching the first Road Safety Strategy in a decade.'