Hospitals make more than £53m in a year from car park charges

Hospitals made more than £53 million over a twelve-month period, despite visitors being restricted from seeing friends and family as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

It comes despite Boris Johnson pledging in the 2019 Conservative manifesto to axe hospital car park charges for the most vulnerable.

Patients and visitors paid £48,256,988, and NHS staff paid £5,272,954 in figures compiled by The Sun.

The NHS trusts who set the fees received £53,529,942 in the financial year to this April.

Shadow Health Secretary Wes Streeting criticised the costs, saying: “NHS staff are exhausted. Prices and bills are rising. What thanks do they get for their heroic efforts over the pandemic? Rip-off parking charges.”

In a statement, the Department of Health said: “NHS trusts are responsible for setting their car parking charges and any revenue must go back into front-line services.”