Corbyn: I back the Mirror’s NHS car park fight
Labour leader calls for end to NHS car park fees Thousands of patients & staff back our campaign
JEREMY Corbyn has emphatically backed The Mirror’s campaign to end rip-off hospital car parking charges.
JEREMY Corbyn has joined thousands of people around the country in backing the Mirror’s campaign to end hospital car parking charges.
More than 4,800 patients, relatives and NHS staff signed our petition on day one to end the rip-off, which unfairly targets the sick.
Charities, trade unions and politicians across the political divide have joined us in calling for the Government to act.
New figures showed money raked in from the NHS England car parks, which are run by private firms, has increased to half a million pounds every day.
Labour leader Mr Corbyn said: “It’s time to ditch this unfair and immoral tax on people who are ill or need care.”
Desperately ill patients forced to quit work told the Mirror how they were left with bills of hundreds of pounds due to frequent hospital visits.
Relatives said they were fined after arriving with a loved-one in a life-threatening condition.
And NHS staff said they had parking charges deducted from their wages, but were still unable to get a space and then fined for parking in the wrong bay.
Mr Corbyn added: “As set out in our manifesto, Labour will scrap hospital car parking charges.
“I’m glad the Mirror is campaigning to end this unnecessary burden on families, patients and NHS staff.”
The £175million made from hospital car parks in 2016/17 is equivalent to only 0.001% of total health spend. However ruthless private parking firms pocket much of this.
The Mirror is calling for NHS funding to be made up from general taxation, rather than piling charges of up to £4-an-hour on some of the most vulnerable in society who can least afford it.
The British Medical Association, which represents the nation’s doctors, is supporting the axing of the charges, as is the Society for Acute Medicine. The Mirror’s campaign is also backed by one of the country’s biggest motoring groups. FairFuelUK, which has 1.5 million supporters, said it was “right behind” our call.
A FairFuelUK survey of 9,048 drivers carried out in November this year found 95% wanted hospital car parking scrapped or reduced to just £1.
Founder Howard Cox said: “The anxiety of visiting loved ones and attending medical appointments at hospitals in England is made worse by these excessive parking costs.
“This insensitive opportunism seems to be merely another way of fleecing more cash from hard-working lowincome families, who can’t afford private healthcare and already contribute enormously to the NHS via their taxes.
“Being ill is not anyone’s life choice and should not be exploited financially.”
In Scotland, parking fees were ended at 14 NHS hospitals. Only three hospitals built under the Private Finance Initiative can still charge.
Wales also introduced a similar policy, with four hospitals still charging due to PFI deals.
Visit mirror.co.uk/ hospitalparking to sign our petition today.