Fine NHS worker’s anger after parking ticket appeal rejected
AN NHS worker has accused Gloucestershire County Council of showing a lack of compassion after giving her a parking fine outside her place of work.
The woman, who asked not to be identified, works in Cheltenham General Hospital.
She was given a £35 fine, rising to £70 if not paid within 14 days, for not displaying a valid permit while parked in College Road at 4.25pm on April 22.
The key worker said she couldn’t understand it as she had left her car in an area allocated for NHS workers and had displayed an NHS parking permit.
But after challenging the fine, her bid to get it quashed was rejected.
The council wrote to her, saying: “We can see from the photographic evidence gathered at the time of the contravention that you had a permit displayed in your vehicle, however the permit is for the NHS car parks only and would not be valid for use in onstreet parking bays.”
It added: “We understand you feel strongly about the points you have raised, but your challenge has already been rejected and we have nothing new to add to our previous response.”
The woman said: “I have raised an informal appeal with the county council, but there’s no retraction of the fine. Is this really how the general public would want NHS staff to be treated?”
The health worker explained she parked on the street because the hospital’s car park had, as was often the case, been full. She said she had first paid £6.50 to park in nearby Orrisdale Terrace for four hours before switching to College Road when that time period elapsed.
She said she moved her vehicle while on her break and was delighted to find a space opposite her department in the area reserved for NHS permit holders only.
She added permits given to her and her colleagues were out of date and had yet to be replaced – but staff had been given a letter by hospital bosses stressing those using them did have a valid permit.
She said: “I parked and displayed my NHS permit with the supporting letter but when I returned to my vehicle, it had a parking ticket on the windscreen.”
She claimed signs in the road had not made the situation clear and she felt the council should have shown more consideration to her case – at a time when she and her colleagues were working hard trying to cope with the pandemic.
She said she planned to write to Deborah Lee, Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust’s chief executive, in the hope that other staff could be warned about the parking situation because she was keen to raise awareness of it.
The county council’s parking manager, Alexis Newport, said: “We are keen to support our NHS partners and that is why we currently offer dedicated ‘on-street NHS parking’ bays which provides them with more free parking options close to the hospital.
“To use these bays, which are clearly marked, a special ‘on-street NHS’ virtual permit is required. These can be obtained from the council’s Mipermit site and full details of this scheme have been shared with NHS staff. For more information please visit our website.
“This person received a ticket as they held an ‘NHS Car Parks Permit’ which is only valid in NHS car parks and not in the designated on-street NHS bays.”