Workers furious at £100 a month parking charges
Hunter Health staff protest
Angry staff at the Hunter Health Centre have slammed the new car park after being forced to pay £100 a month to park near their workplace.
The car park, which opened in May 2016, has left administration staff counting the cost after they were refused parking permits for the new complex.
This means that staff who cannot find a space in the Civic Centre’s Ballerup car park are forced into parking at the Ballerup Hall adjacent to the Health Centre, at a cost of up to £5.80 per day for full time staff.
Staff at Hunter Community Health Centre are only eligible for free parking if they require a space for business purposes, with doctors and nurses receiving permits for the new complex.
MP Dr Lisa Cameron has received several complaints from staff and has contacted NHS Lanarkshire on their behalf.
“I am disappointed at the response received from NHS Lanarkshire to their staff concerns,” said the SNP MP.
“This has a disproportionate impact on administration staff who generally are on lower wages and are least able to afford a cost of almost £30 per week to park at their work.
“NHS Lanarkshire have said that they will review their policy periodically, and I urge them to take on board feedback from staff who say that the car park is underutilised and reinstate parking rights which are available at other sites.”
However, NHS Lanarkshire noted that the way permits were allocated had not changed from the old car park, and that they were for staff members using vehicles for business purposes.
Graham Johnston, NHS Lanarkshire’s head of management services, said: “The multi-decked car park at Hunter Community Health Centre has provision for 242 vehicles – almost 200 more than at the old centre.
“Parking is free to use for staff and patients and this has been allocated in a 50/50 split between staff and patient parking.
“The staff parking arrangements are the same as they were at the old centre in that all staff who require a vehicle for business purposes – such as those who carry out home visits – have access to the staff area of the car park.
“This arrangement was put in place following a parking consulting process which was undertaken between April and June 2015 with staff and patient representatives to get their views on the proposed arrangements at the new car park.
“We have agreed with staff that we will review the parking arrangements at periodic intervals to see if they require to be updated.”
He added: “We also encourage our staff to actively travel as much as possible by walking, cycling and using public transport.
“The health centre is also located in close proximity to the local bus and train stations.”