Airedale General Hospital plans criticised for lack of free parking

An NHS boss has come under fire after saying it was "not realistic" to consider a free car park for staff in the blueprint for a new hospital.

The comments were made to North Yorkshire Council's health committee during a discussion about plans for the new Airedale General Hospital.

The hospital is set to be rebuilt as part of the New Hospital Programme.

Speaking at the meeting, councillor Rich Maw described it "deplorable" that staff could have to pay to park.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Maw said it was a "once in a lifetime opportunity" to be involved in the development of a new hospital before asking: "So, will we be taking this opportunity to provide enough car parking spaces to allow for free parking for NHS staff?"

Responding to the question an NHS representative said: "I can't say to you it's going to be free parking. I really don't think realistically that is going to happen, but we do need to be very conscious of charges that are made at the moment, both to staff and patients."

The new hospital in Keighley will be run by Airedale NHS Foundation Trust which is based in West and North Yorkshire.

Last year, after an outcry, York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust revised its parking charges to provide staff on the lowest wages with a free permit if they lived a sufficient distance away,

UNISON Yorkshire and Humberside regional organiser Gary Cleaver said it was "incredibly disappointing" to hear senior managers say providing staff car parking was not realistic.

He said: "NHS workers carry out vital work, and their workplace is stressful enough without added pressures of finding somewhere to park their car for their shift.

"When the minimum wage increases in April, some staff will only be earning one pence an hour above that.

"Staff can't afford car parking, or public transport. I'd urge managers to reconsider how important a staff car park could prove to be."