Hospital parking charges a “tax on caring”

Patients and visitors shelled out a staggering £146 million in hospital car parking fees last year nationally, up 50% compared to the previous year, figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats have revealed.

It’s the equivalent of £400,000 being paid in hospital car parking fees every single day. 

Oldham Liberal Democrat Leader councillor Howard Sykes MBE said, “When a loved one is in hospital things are stressful enough without having to shell out extortionate amounts in parking costs.  Especially with the cost-of-living crisis raging.  The Conservatives promised to cut charges, but under their government all that’s happened is costs have soared.” 

The annual figures from the NHS show that hospital trusts made £145.9 million in income from patients and visitors’ car parking fees in 2022/23.  This is up by more than 50% from £96.7m the previous year and triple the £47.9m made from parking fees two years ago.

Recently, even NHS staff have been impacted by parking chaos at hospitals. Here in Oldham, a nationwide petition has been launched after staff at Royal Oldham Hospital said they started receiving fines for parking at the hospital.

Councillor Sykes said, “Hospital parking charges are becoming a tax on caring for our loved ones and for hardworking NHS staff, they are becoming a tax on going to work.

The Liberal Democrats are calling on the Government to work with NHS trusts to reduce fees for visitors and staff and to introduce a ‘Visiting and Caring Fund’ to ensure that no one is shelling out unfair sums to visit their loved ones.  The cost-of-living is bad enough as it is.”