Yeovil District Hospital staff parking price rise criticised

Staff parking charges are set to rise at Yeovil District Hospital

A higher-than-usual parking fee rise for staff at a town's hospital has been branded unfair by union bosses.

One nursing representative says the rises at Yeovil District Hospital leave staff in an impossible position.

The maximum rate is rising to just over £48 for a monthly permit, a rise of just over 13%.

The trust that runs the hospital said it had worked to keep charges to a minimum and fees were used to fund maintenance of the car park.

The price rise, which comes into effect from 1 May, is linked to the retail price index (RPI), the trust added. Last year's rise was just over 8%.

Staff are charged for parking based on their salary bands, with those on the lowest wages paying the cheapest fees.

'Over a barrel'

For example, lowest-paid staff who work five days a week at the hospital are facing a monthly price rise from £21.82 to £24.75.

Those in the top three salary bands will be charged £48.12 a month rather than the current figure of £42.43.

Fiona Stephenson, senior fellow at the Royal College of Nursing, said: "I just think it's a really unfair reflection of how the hospital sees their staff.

"I feel that nurses are over a barrel on this because they can't not pay, they can't not park, because that would mean that they couldn't go to work. There's no parking around the hospital."

Ms Stephenson, who is also a registered nurse in Somerset, said she felt nurses should not have to pay to park for work.

Annual review

Somerset NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said it had worked hard to keep the rises to a minimum.

A trust spokesman said: "We review the cost of car parking at the hospital annually and changes usually come into effect in April.

"Last year, we delayed the increase in parking costs until August because we were concerned about the impact on our colleagues.

"Unfortunately, the cost of providing the facility has increased and the money we receive from parking charges pays for the provision and upkeep of our parking facilities."