£2.8m payday and display for hospital parking company

Fatcats double profits in a year

FATCAT parking contractors have made £2.8million in a year from just one hospital car park.

French-owned firm Indigo doubled its profits from parking fees and fines paid by staff and patients.

The company – branded “predatory and greedy” by campaigners – has a 15-year deal to run University Hospital of Wales car parks, despite the Labour-run Cardiff assembly scrapping fees, except where there is a contract in place.

The figures, revealed in the firm’s latest accounts, come as more than 80 staff at the Cardiff hospital challenge thousands of Indigo penalty tickets in court. Three days have been set aside for the hearings in July. We revealed earlier this year that three medics got tickets as they treated heart patients despite a sign on one worker’s car reading: “Cardiac emergency – nurse on call.”

And ex-healthcare assistant Robert O’Brien, 35, says he was forced to quit his NHS job after racking up £768 in fines. Protesters’ spokeswoman Sue Prior said of the latest profits: “This proves they are nothing but predatory and greedy.”

Our campaign calls on the Government to scrap rip-off parking fees for frontline health workers.

Labour promised to scrap parking fees in England for staff and visitors in its election manifesto.

England’s hospitals made a record £120million from car parks last year.

Unison general secretary Dave Prentis said: “Hospital workers need to concentrate on helping patients get better, not getting back to their car before they get a ticket.”

University Hospital of Wales said: “Over 98 per cent of staff pay their £1.05 daily charge without issue.”

Indigo, whose contract runs out next year, refused to comment.