Anger over Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust disabled parking fee
- Published
Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust will charge disabled drivers up to £2.80, from 1 September
Plans to charge disabled people to park at three hospitals have been branded "appalling" and "mean-spirited".
From 1 September, Mid Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Pinderfields, Dewsbury and Pontefract Hospitals, will charge blue badge holders up to £2.80 to park.
The trust, which has a £14.8m deficit, said the fee would raise £98,000 a year towards improving parking provision.
Campaigners say it will make it harder for disabled people to attend hospital.
'Absolutely disgusted'
Sue Bott, chief executive at Disability Rights UK, said: "I'm not really in favour of anyone having to pay to park at hospitals... but imposing a charge on disabled people is really going to have a bad effect.
"The lack of funding in the NHS is a national issue and is going to need a national solution and I do not think that this penny-pinching and upsetting local people and making it difficult for disabled people to get to hospital is really the right way."
Paula Sherriff, Labour MP for Dewsbury, said: "I'm absolutely disgusted. I will be fighting this all the way."
But, the trust said the charges were in line with other NHS Trusts and nearby off-street car parks.
Kevin Oxley, director of operations for estates and facilities, said: "[This] will enable us to invest in parking provision for this group of motorists across our three main hospital sites.
"This includes making sure that Blue Badge spaces are as accessible and as close to hospital entrances as possible and policing the spaces more effectively."
The trust said it hopes to break even by 2017.
Non-disabled motorists pay from £2 for one hour's parking to £6.90 for between four and 24 hour's parking, following an increase in fees earlier this month.
A spokeswoman for NHS England said decisions about parking charges were the responsibility of individual trusts. She said figures are not held on how many charge disabled people to park.