Staff hit out as York trust hospitals bring back car parking charges

The York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said that free parking can "no longer be sustained", after the Government’s financial support for providing free car parking for all NHS staff during the Covid-19 pandemic ended in April 2022.

But staff at the York trust said this could make it more tempting for people to leave their roles - as they said they already feel "under-pressure and undervalued".

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The parking charges will come into place from June 12 this year - and the trust said it has taken time to complete a review of parking before reintroducing charges.

A letter from a concerned staff member, who wishes to remain anonymous, said: "This is going to mean an increase in the number of staff forced to park on residential streets, which already upsets residents.

"We don't want to do this but there are so few options it can't be avoided.

"The current public transport provision is inadequate especially in places like Scarborough and Bridlington where staff travel longer distances.

"In Scarborough there is no park and ride service in the winter months wiping out that option for six months of the year."

The car parking charges at the York trust are set to be reintroduced from June (Image: Supplied)

Staff will have the option to pay for parking on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. New criteria have also been introduced for parking permits - and a letter outlining the requirements has been sent to staff.

The trust said the parking charges have been changed so that more junior staff are charged a lower rate - or do not pay - and more senior staff pay a higher rate.

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A spokesperson for the York trust said: "We chose not to reintroduce parking charges immediately despite many trusts doing so, as we were in a particularly difficult wave of Covid-19, alongside other operational pressures.

"We also wanted to take the time to complete our review of parking before reintroducing charges. Unfortunately, free parking cannot be sustained in the longer term and in line with other trusts, we will be reintroducing staff parking charges from June 12.

“The changes and improvements have been developed in partnership with our unions and with staff, to ensure the approach we have in place in future is fair and provides access for those who need it most to do their job. In doing this, we have harmonised charges across our sites, while at the same time considered pay bands.

“The trust offers a range of travel concessions and suggestions for staff who are looking for alternatives to using a car and we are making further improvements.

"As part of this, to help staff who do not drive to work and to encourage alternatives to car use, we have negotiated a pilot scheme to provide free bus travel for staff to and from work in Scarborough and York. This includes all the First York network and Park and Ride services in York.”