Health Secretary Andy Burnham pledges end to hospital parking charges

Oct 8 2009 by Rob Merrick, Maghull and Aintree Star

A SURPRISE pledge to axe hated hospital parking charges could save the friends and families of Aintree hospital patients up to £500,000 a year.

Health secretary Andy Burnham pledged to phase out the controversial fees over the next three years “as we can afford it”.

The move follows a long campaign by patient groups including Macmillan Cancer Support, which described charges as “appalling”.

They have already been scrapped in Scotland and Wales.

Last year, people visiting University Hospital Aintree paid £503,486 to park there.

Now every in-patient will be given a parking permit which can be passed around to which ever family member or friend wishes to visit the ward that day.

It means out-patients driving to hospital for short appointments – who make up the bulk of hospital visits – will still have to pay to park.