An issue that has been very much in the news in recent weeks has been that of the tolls on the Severn Crossings.

At the Federation of Small Businesses we know all too well the impact that the current level of tolls can have on businesses, and the impact on the local economy. That impact is huge. A report produced for the Assembly by consultants Arup last year suggested that if the bridge tolls were abolished it could boost economic output in Wales by £107m.

Given that, it is not surprising that Newport East MP Jessica Morden has been among those who have called for the tolls to be reduced.

She is not alone. The all-party Welsh Affairs Select Committee has also taken this view. It has previously called for tolls to be cut “at the earliest possible opportunity” and suggested that the toll could be cut by around 80% if it were to cover the maintenance costs.

At the FSB we would like to see tolls cut to an absolute minimum so that they merely pay for the cost of maintaining the bridges.

That is why we have been so concerned about suggestions that tolls from the Crossings could be used to fund a proposed new M4 relief road around Newport.

We think that it is unfair that road users in South East Wales, both businesses and private motorists, should be forced to continue paying high tolls for projects that should be funded as part of Wales-wide infrastructure through a proper borrowing powers settlement for the Welsh Government.

We are also concerned that using tolls from the Severn Crossings is not a reliable source of income for road projects.

Also, as an organisation that represents ordinary businesses that have to make tough financial decisions, we are not convinced that the option of an all-new £1bn relief road is the right one.

There is no denying that the bottleneck at the Brynglas tunnels needs to be urgently addressed. But we are in favour of an alternative scheme that would see the A48 SDR upgraded with roundabouts replaced with flyovers and some existing junctions closed.

Such a scheme could be more rapidly delivered and would require around a third of the funding, meaning that there would not be a rationale for higher tolls. We believe this is the solution that would best serve all those that use the Severn Crossings and the roads network in Newport and Monmouthshire.