By Steve Bargeton, political editor

MSPs COULD get another chance to vote to scrap bridge tolls—this time on the Tay and on the Forth, The Courier can exclusively reveal.

Last week the Scottish Parliament threw out an SNP motion calling for tolls to be abolished on the Tay Road Bridge and instead voted for another review into the impact of tolls on Fife and Tayside.

But in a major development over the weekend two MSPs—one SNP and one Labour—have independently tabled separate proposals for new legislation at Holyrood to remove bridge tolls on the Tay and the Forth.

Mid Scotland and Fife SNP MSP Bruce Crawford is lodging a member’s bill that seeks to repeal or amend appropriate sections of the Tay Road Bridge Order Confirmation Act 1991 and the Forth Road Bridge Order Confirmation Act 1958. And the Labour MSP for Dunfermline East Helen Eadie has submitted a draft proposal for a member’s bill entitled the Abolition of Tolls (Scotland) Bill to the Parliament. She is supported by the other three Fife Labour MSPs and Dundee West MSP Kate Maclean.

There was fury at Holyrood last week when Liberal Democrat and Labour MSPs who have said they want to end the tolls on the Tay voted to retain them and have another review.

Last night Mr Crawford said he was launching his bill to ensure that the issue does not get “kicked into the long grass.”

“People in Fife and Dundee will find it incredible that the Liberal/Labour Scottish Executive have decided to carry out yet another review into whether tolls should exist on the Forth and Tay bridges.

“This is a cynical attempt by the Scottish Executive to put this matter into the long grass until after the next Scottish parliamentary elections in 2007. The matter has already been reviewed to death through the toll bridges review process that was completed just recently. It is clear that no one can trust the Liberal and Labour MSPs to deliver on abolishing the tolls.

“This is a simple matter of fairness and equity of practice across Scotland. The tolls have been removed from both the Skye and Erskine bridges and must now go on the Forth and Tay.

“I do not intend to let the Liberal and Labour MSPs off the hook on this matter and that is why I will submit a bill to abolish the tolls on both the Forth and Tay.

“This will test their mettle on whether they are prepared to stand up for what they say they believe.”

Mr Crawford intends to tackle the tolls by seeking to repeal or amend sections of the Tay Road Bridge Order Confirmation Act 1991 and the Forth Road Bridge Order Confirmation Act 1958.

He believes that with sufficient parliamentary support, this could be achieved before parliament breaks up in the run up to the Holyrood elections in May 2007.

By May 8 Mr Crawford plans to submit a draft proposal consisting of the short title and brief explanation of the purpose of the bill together with a written statement on why there is no requirement for consultation.

By the end of June he hopes it will have been considered by the appropriate parliamentary committee and the following week the proposal will be submitted to parliament to attract support of 18 members and at least half of political parties represented on the Parliamentary Bureau.

When MSPs return from the summer recess in September, Mr Crawford will lodge his bill in parliament for introduction.

Ms Eadie has already sent a draft proposal for her Abolition of Tolls (Scotland) Bill to the parliament.

Last night she called for MSPs of all parties to get behind her bill.

“I am inviting all MSPs across Scotland to sign in support of my draft proposal and I am delighted that already all of Fife’s Labour MSPs have committed to support this initiative.

“I hope that individuals will look past the party politics and get behind this proposal. This is the fairest way of ensuring equity with other areas of Scotland.

“I hope that constituents from all over Scotland will make that clear to their representatives and that this unfair system that penalises people in the east of Scotland cannot continue.

“I believe that the right approach is to have a policy that ensures that all bridges across Scotland are toll free and this is something that I hope the majority of parliamentarians will unite over. That is just, fair and reasonable.”

Her Labour colleague Scott Barrie in neighbouring Dunfermline West said, “The SNP motion last week only dealt with the Tay bridge.

“I believe that in order for Fife to be treated fairly the abolition of the tolls for both bridges must be done at one and the same time.”

Central Fife MSP Christine May has also thrown her weight behind Ms Eadie’s bill.

“Last week, I voted for the first step in removing the tolls from not just the Tay but also the Forth bridge,” she said.

“This member’s bill promoted by my colleague Helen Eadie marks an escalation in Fife Labour members’ determination to make Fife toll free so that Fifers get a fair deal.

“What’s good enough for the rest of Scotland is good enough for Fife and I support this bill.

“Give Fifers fair play, scrap the tolls on Forth and Tay.”

Kirkcaldy MSP Marilyn Livingstone said, “I am very pleased to support the member’s bill in the name of Helen Eadie which seeks to abolish the tolls on both the Forth and Tay bridges.

“Like my colleagues I believe that if we are to achieve fairness and equity for the people of my constituency, and indeed for all of Fife’s communities, we must ensure that the economic, social and environmental issues are urgently debated and that this debate must include both bridges.

“I believe that with the removal of tolls from both the Skye and Erskine bridges the debate has moved on and we cannot allow one area of Scotland to be disadvantaged.

“However, crucially, within this debate we must continue to stress the urgent need for the immediate planning and implementation of a new multi-modal bridge across the Forth with the improved public transport infrastructure that is so necessary for the Fife economy.”

Dundee West MSP Kate Maclean said, “Road tolls are not just a Fife issue but one that has implications across Scotland.

“In Dundee its right to fight for abolition of bridge tolls across Scotland but I fully support the efforts of parliamentary colleagues in Fife who are committed to ending this unfair tax on local people trying to get on with their day-to-day business.”