Here is a summary of what was scheduled to be discussed at the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee meeting. The agenda included the Chief Officer's quarterly report, budget monitoring, and the revenue budget and capital programme for the upcoming year. Also listed for discussion were updates on the Tamar 2050 project, specifically focusing on open road tolling and ferry decarbonisation.

2026-27 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme

The committee was scheduled to consider the proposed revenue budget for 2026/27 and indicative figures for the following three years, as well as the proposed capital programme, detailed in the 2026-27 Revenue Budget and Capital Programme - Report. The report noted that the forecast reserve position on 31 March 2026 was £1.492m, and that future years showed the reserve position increasing to £2.211m by the end of 2028/29, before decreasing in 2029/30 to £1.848m.

The report stated that in developing the budgets for 2026/27 to 2029/30, the following inflationary and interest assumptions had been used:

It was noted that the second interest rate payable line would only be fixed when loans are taken out and future rates are subject to movement in the general market.

The report also included a draft of the 2026/27 annual business plan, which stated that the plan represented a continuation of an interim approach as the parent authorities, the committee and management incorporate output and progress associated with the Tamar 2050 strategy.

2025/26 Budget Monitoring

The committee was scheduled to review the 2025-26 Budget Monitoring Report, which contained the budget monitoring statement and revised forecast outturn position based on information available at the end of October 2025.

The revenue position showed an overall surplus of £0.613m, an adverse variance of £0.066m year to date compared to the revised forecast. The position at the end of March 2026 was forecast to be an overall surplus of £0.576m, a reduction in the surplus of £0.020m compared to the forecast reported in September. This took into account:

• actual employee costs related to the agreed national pay negotiations and known ongoing vacancies
• revenue losses associated with the delay in gaining approval to increase tolls
• reduction in maintenance painting costs at the bridge relating to commencement of the capital recoating programme
• reduction in Marine Gas Oil costs due to lower market prices
• adjusted capital loan interest payable to reflect revised expenditure profiles and actual interest rate
• numerous other smaller variances to forecast

Within Capital, expenditure was £2.982m against the latest forecast for the year of £6.765m.

The forecast reserve position based on the current estimate was a surplus of £1.492m as at 31 March 2026, a slight reduction to the original budget position of £1.512m.

Chief Officer's Quarterly Report

The committee was scheduled to receive the Chief Officer's Quarterly Report. The report covered the period commencing 1 August 2025 and ending 31 October 2025, and provided information on operational matters and key performance indicators (KPIs).

Torpoint Ferry

Ferry availability for the reporting period was 97.93%, against a target of 99%. There were 356 missed trips. Eastbound tolled traffic volume was 262,966 vehicles, a 5.3% increase from the previous year. There were two incidents of recorded anti-social behaviour on Joint Committee property.

Planned maintenance included an annual fire safety survey for all vessels and a north drive wheel segment and chain change for the Tamar II ferry. Plym II prow repairs were delayed until November 2025 due to the requirement for a weld plan for Class approval and the availability of appropriate material.

It was noted that an agreement had been reached between stakeholders to plan for north gantries to be replaced during 2026, and that drawings with lessons learnt amendments had been approved, and a work order placed for manufacture to commence.

It was also noted that Rolls Royce and Tamar Crossings had agreed that the best course of action was to upgrade the VTAS system to NautIQ Core during 2026 to mitigate material cost increases and skill fade of this already overdue project, and that building control approval had been received for front aspect window replacement and pointing works at the Ferry Office, but that remedial work was not expected to start until early Spring 2026 when environmental conditions improve.

Updates on the Torpoint Ferry Decarbonisation programme were also scheduled to be discussed. It was noted that the Innovate Grant Offer Letter had been signed and funds made available for draw down as invoiced, and that the formal start date of the Bridge to Zero project was 01 Sep 25.

Tamar Bridge

Eastbound tolled traffic volume was 1,868,197 vehicles, a 1.6% decrease from the previous year. Lane availability was 98.71%, against a target of 99.5%. Journey times through the tidal flow corridor eastbound and westbound were both 7 minutes, against a target of less than 5 minutes 45 seconds. There were 22 road traffic collisions and 8 incidents of recorded anti-social behaviour on Joint Committee property.

Planned maintenance included cleaning, minor structure repairs, steelwork repairs and vegetation clearance. Principle inspection was ongoing, with the south cantilever gantry complete and the north cantilever gantry inspection well advanced.

Supplementary cable repairs were ongoing, and the toll booth 3 replacement was scheduled to take place on 14 November. Rocker remedial works were ongoing, and phase 2 design was in progress for the second rocker replacement scheduled for Spring 2026.

Visitor and Learning Centre

Key activities within the centre included confirmation that they had achieved the Sandford Award¹, delivery of summer and October activity programmes, and attendance at the Launchpad Live Plymouth city wide event to promote careers at Tamar Crossings.

General and Corporate

The report included combined and individual employee statistics for Tamar Crossings.

Tamar 2050

Key activities associated with the Tamar 2050 Programme included:

• Income Optimisation Study: The study identified a relatively small number of opportunities that may increase secondary income modestly and recommended that consideration is given to establishing a subsidiary organisation as an umbrella for organisation's social and secondary commercial activities.
• Social and Economic Impact Assessment: The work to better understand the social and economic impact of the Tamar Crossings had now been awarded and would be completed within the anticipated budget.
• Stakeholder engagement: A high-level meeting with all three local MPs took place in mid-November, and regular meetings and briefings had now been set up with key local stakeholders.
• Open Road Tolling: A Member's workshop took place at the end of November to consider and approve the proposal for Open Road Tolling.

Toll Revenue

Toll revenue for the reporting period was £4,680,555, a 12.4% increase from the previous year.

Health and Safety

There were 7 accidents and 2 near misses during the reporting period.

Communications and Engagement

Communications activity supported the bridge painting, the Bridge to Zero ferry decarbonisation research project, the Saltash Tunnel Technology Upgrade, and the Sandford Award for Excellence in Heritage Education.

Tamar 2050

Open Road Tolling

The committee was scheduled to receive a verbal update on open road tolling.

Ferry De-Carbonisation

The committee was scheduled to receive a verbal update on ferry de-carbonisation.

Other items

The agenda also included:

• Apologies for absence
• Declarations of interest
• Minutes of the meeting held on 19 September 2025
• Public questions
• Chairman's announcements
• Any other business that the chairman considers to be of urgency