NEW figures show the NHS is making nearly a £¼m a year from parking charges at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

Councillors last night called on health bosses to donate a per centage of the windfall to help Lindley residents hit by new charges from Kirklees Council.

Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Hospitals Trust made £239,257 in parking charges at the infirmary in 2010/11 – up 27% on the £187,596 generated the year before. The figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information Act request.

The first 20 minutes parking at the hospital is free. A stay of up to two hours costs drivers £1.50.
A visit of between two and four hours costs £2.50 while motorists must pay £5 to stay longer than four hours.

Lindley Lib Dem councillors yesterday called on the trust to donate around 10% of the parking windfall to help residents who live round the hospital.

Kirklees Council intend to charge people £30 a year for residents-only parking permits, which had previously been free.

The move affects 8,675 car-owners in 160 parts of Kirklees – including people who live near HRI.
Lindley Lib Dem Clr Cahal Burke wants the trust to pay for permit passes on 10 streets around the hospital at a cost of £21,240 a year.

He said: “After the decision to introduce charges was taken, a number of residents asked whether the council would speak to the hospital about it contributing some of the money it gets from the pay and display car parks.

“The total cost to the hospital would be 8.9% of the money they take in from parking.”

Clr Burke is collecting petition signatures from residents of Acre House Avenue, Victoria Street, Cressfield Road, Burwood Road, King Street, Wellington Street, Acre Street, Thornhill Avenue, Gibson Street and Union Street.

“We are helping the residents to put this to the Cabinet collectively via the petition which we will present at a future council meeting,” said Clr Burke.

“It is then up to the Cabinet to decide whether to speak to the hospital. Part of our role as councillors is to help people engage with the decisions affecting their lives and this is what we are doing.”

“The hospital clearly has money it draws from its car parks, which is entirely separate from the money it uses for patient care.”