Petition launched over hospital staff parking charges

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust plans to reintroduce staff parking charges from 12 June

A public petition has been launched against the reintroduction of staff parking charges at Scarborough and Bridlington hospitals. 

York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust plans to reintroduce the charges from 12 June after they were suspended during the pandemic.

Bosses have defended the move, saying funding was withdrawn last April.

The petition has so far attracted nearly 800 signatures.

The parking charges are set to be standardised, with different rates depending on pay bands.

However, their reintroduction has been criticised by staff, some of whom said they already felt "undervalued" and that public transport was not an option for many of them.

Members of the public have also criticised the decision, with some stating that healthcare staff should not have to pay for parking, while others raised concerns that the move would lead to more on-street parking in residential areas near the hospital. 

One person who signed the petition said: "Staff should have every right to park at both hospitals regardless of their job title. Hospitals are understaffed as it is."

In March, a spokesperson for the trust said: "The government's financial support for providing free car parking for all NHS staff during the pandemic ended on 1 April 2022, and although as a trust we are not funded to provide free parking for staff, we chose not to reintroduce parking charges immediately, despite many trusts doing so."