Low-paid NHS workers hit with £70 million in car parking fees, latest figures show

Figures released today show health workers in England forked out a whopping £70,510,110 just to park at work in the financial year 2023/24.

An NHS lanyard

Low-paid NHS workers were hit with more than £70 million in car parking charges last year, new figures from NHS Digital show.

Figures released today show health workers in England forked out a whopping £70,510,110 just to park at work in the financial year 2023/24.

On a regional level, NHS staff in the North West paid out the most at almost £15 million, followed by the North East and Yorkshire with more than £14.5 million, then the Midlands with more than £11 million.

North West  – £14,962,312 

North East and Yorkshire  – £14,568,314

Midlands  – £11,348,037

South East  – £10,555,676

London  – £7,563,678

South West  – £6,231,250

East of England – £5,280,843

The trust which raked in the most was University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, which took more than £3.2 million in parking fees, followed by Birmingham NHS foundation Trust with just over £3 million.

A separate survey of almost 2,000 GMB members found a massive 72 per cent of those working in hospital settings had to pay to park at work.

GMB’s NHS pay claim submitted earlier this year calls for NHS staff car parking charges to be scrapped.

Rachel Harrison, GMB National Secretary, said: “NHS workers have had their first above inflation pay rise after almost 15 years of cuts.

“They’ve suffered rocketing workloads, chronic understaffing and the fallout from a global pandemic.

“Health workers are on their knees – they need help and support. 

“Charging them to park is kicking them while they are down.

“GMB calls on the Government and NHS employers to do the right thing and scrap staff car parking charges.” 

Basit Mahmood is editor of Left Foot Forward

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