Northampton General Hospital pauses plans to introduce controversial new car parking charges for staff

The proposed changes would have seen staff move to a fixed monthly parking charge, with the amount they pay based on their salary.

However, in response to the measures, staff launched a petition this month (September) which has so far received 2,141 signatures out of a target of 3,000 as of Thursday, September 10.

Director of Facilities and Estates Rob Drabble said: “We would like to thank all of our colleagues who have been involved in our forums and conversations around car parking for their feedback on the plan.

“We want to make sure we listen to the different views and therefore we have decided to pause the implementation of the new charging to consider all of the feedback.”

The petition had called for the new charging system to be stopped until staff had been properly consulted and a ‘fairer method’ could be found.

It said shift workers were being unfairly affected because they were unable to park elsewhere due to the times their shifts started and finished.

The petition also raised concerns about staff who car share and those who are off sick or on annual leave still having to pay a fixed monthly charge.

It said: “The views of staff have not been taken into account for this change and will be disproportionately affecting the very people that keep this place running day to day.”

The petition called for the changes to be halted until staff had been properly consulted.

It ended: “If you also disagree with how the car parking charges are being implemented then please sign this and hopefully we can show the trust that we are not accepting what is effectively a pay cut.”

The proposed monthly charges vary according to salary.

Staff earning under £25,000 would have paid £13.50 for on-site parking or £9.50 off-site.

Those earning over £25,000 to £35,000 would have paid £22.50 on-site or £16 off-site.

For those earning over £35,000 to £45,000, the charge would have been £32.50 on-site or £23 off-site.

Those earning over £45,000 to £60,000 would have paid £42 on-site or £29.50 off-site.

Staff earning over £60,000 to £75,000 would have paid £46 on-site or £32.50 off-site.

For those earning more than £75,000, the charge would have risen to £51.50 on-site or £36 off-site.

Before the pause was announced, UHN Director of Estates & Facilities Rob Drabble said the new system followed problems with the previous charging model.

He said: “Following a review with colleagues and our staff-side representatives, we are moving to a fixed monthly car parking charge model with payments based on salary.

“This followed challenges with our previous charging model which was not supported by our ANPR system and did not offer colleagues transparent information on the charges they paid.

“Moving to a salary range scheme means charges are based on actual basic salary rather than job role, banding, or actual earnings.

“This means part-time colleagues will pay less than their full-time counterparts in the same job band, which recognises some of the feedback we have had from colleagues. This also means those who earn the least will pay the least.”