Parking hike at hospital

Apr 4 2008 by Michael Green, Chester Chronicle

HEFTY increases in car parking charges at Leighton Hospital of up to 100% have been met with anger from patients and pressure groups.

The new charges, which came into force yesterday, mean patients and visitors must now pay £3 for between 20 minutes and four hours – a 50% increase – while parking for between four and 24 hours has gone up from £3.50 to £5.

An overnight stay has doubled from £5 to £10, but up to 20 minutes remains free.

Hospital bosses say the extra revenue is needed to improve and maintain the car parks, as well as pay for other repairs to street-lighting and walkways.

They also hope the increases will cut the number of drivers parking at the hospital and help save the environment.

Hugh Emerson, spokesman for the Crewe and Nantwich branch of the Northern Pensioners Association, said: “What this means is that the sick, their friends and relatives are the ones who are paying, and from the point of view of the elderly, the £5 to £10 increase is more than the increase in the State Pension.”

A hospital spokeswoman defended the charges, which will not go up again for five years, and said that people on certain types of benefits may receive a concession.

“The trust has a responsibility to ensure the systems and charges at its hospitals remain the best way of managing vehicles coming on to its sites,” she said.