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INFIRMARY parking problems ... Councillor Jean Ashworth.
INFIRMARY parking problems ... Councillor Jean Ashworth.

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Parking increase hits hospital staff

Helen Johnson
29/ 5/2007

ANGRY staff at Rochdale Infirmary have been told they must pay an extra 40 per cent to park their cars at work.

They received letters this weekend from the Pennine Acute Trust, which netted £1,533,496 in car parking charges last year, telling them the cost of parking is going up from £10 to £14 per month.

As a sweetener, the Trust has promised staff the new tariff, which comes into effect in July and is the first rise since 2005, will not be reviewed again until 2010.

But some staff say the increase is frustrating - especially as finding a space in the busy staff car park is not always guaranteed, anyway.

Councillor Jean Ashworth, a nurse at the Infimary, said: "Last year the trust made over £1.5M in car parking charges, so where has it all gone?

"They are hitting us with this increase yet we are still not guaranteed to get a space.

"Sometimes I can be driving round the car park for half-an-hour until I find one.

"I refuse to park outside people's homes instead. They've had enough problems."

She added: "Oldham are getting 30 new spaces. It seems to me like Rochdale is subsidising the other three hospitals.

"The letter states they will soon be implementing a barrier system, Rochdale already has one, but for staff it still doesn't guarantee a parking space.

"This year the staff pay rise is only 1.5 per cent, yet the car parking charge is going up by 40 per cent, meaning the rise will just be swallowed up."

A spokesman for the Pennine Acute Trust, which runs hospitals in Rochdale, Oldham, Bury and North Manchester, said: "The increase covers a number of things, including security and upkeep of the car parks.

"We are piloting a scheme whereby staff are entitled to free bus travel and we encourage car sharing, but there has been a limited response to these schemes."


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Most recent 2 of 5 user comments

   As an employee of Pennine Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, I am more than happy to pay for parking. A secure car park, complete with cameras and 24 hour security on site costs money, therefore staff must expect to pay towards it. I don't quite know how Councillor Ashworth works out that the rise in parking costs will swallow up this years pay rise!!! It will cost a full time employee an extra 48 pounds per year, which is nowhere near the pay rises staff will get. Oh, and by the way, we didn't get 1.5%, we actually got 1.9% over 12 months, 1.5% in April, and 1% from November, none of which has been paid yet as the unions are still in discussion re acceptance of the offer!!!!
LS, Bolton
11/06/2007 at 15:39
   Yes Patricia but the rest of us dont save peoples lives for a living.
mojo, Rochdale
3/06/2007 at 13:45
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