Car park firm coins in £10k from Covid
NHS and social care staff forked over more than £10,000 to a parking firm run by Glasgow City Council while receiving their Covid19 jab or working, the Glasgow Times can reveal.
A leaked email shows NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde (NHSGGC) spent £4500 on 1500 tickets for staff to use the SEC and Hydro car parks while receiving the jab at the temporary NHS Louisa Jordan hospital, while Glasgow’s Health and Social Care Partnership (GHSCP) paid £6000 for a total of 2000 stubs.
It was previously anticipated around £6000 had been generated from the ticket sales, however, these findings reveal City Parking, who manage the car park on behalf of the council, pocketed a total of £10,500.
Councillor Paul Carey, who serves on the council’s City Parking board, said: “When I found out about this, I immediately asked for the barriers to be lifted and the charges to the NHS and GHSCP to stop and find out why this was done.
“It now seems that the charges paid are thousands more than first thought. If this is the case, then this is absolutely disgraceful. I will now ask the board to back my call and return this money a soon as possible in order that it can be utilised to deliver frontline services.”
As previously revealed by the Glasgow Times, the board’s chairwoman Elaine McSporran, called on the sites to be made free to health care workers after backlash began to surround the fees.
In a letter, she said: “Other than the use for the Louisa Jordan, there is virtually no demand for the Hydro carpark (since there are no events) and I feel that we should provide as much assistance as possible to the NHS and the removing of the charges would go some way to contribute to that assistance.”
However, fellow councillors have said the move does not go far enough and previously called on the local authority to return the cash or donate it to the Lord Provost’s children’s fund.
A spokesman for the council said: “Agreements were previously reached with the NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde and Glasgow HSCP to allow health and social care attending the hospital to park free of charge at the Hydro car park.
“The agreements meant both organisations received significantly reduced rates for parking and they were content to cover costs on behalf of their staff.
“The income generated by this arrangement is exactly as we expected and will go to support frontline services operated by the council.
“As vaccination ramps up we have moved to make parking at the Louisa Jordan free for anyone who needs it.”