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Labour pledges to end hospital parking charges across England | Labour pledges to end hospital parking charges across England |
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Labour is making an eye-catching pledge to end hospital parking charges, after years of campaigning by patients’ groups. | Labour is making an eye-catching pledge to end hospital parking charges, after years of campaigning by patients’ groups. |
The party would hike the tax on private healthcare insurance to meet the £162m cost of free parking at all NHS hospitals across England. | The party would hike the tax on private healthcare insurance to meet the £162m cost of free parking at all NHS hospitals across England. |
Jeremy Corbyn said the charges were an “unnecessary burden on families”, adding: “Hospital parking charges are a tax on serious illnesses. | Jeremy Corbyn said the charges were an “unnecessary burden on families”, adding: “Hospital parking charges are a tax on serious illnesses. |
“Our hospitals are struggling from underfunding at the hands of Theresa May’s Conservative government, but the gap should not be filled by charging sick patients, anxious relatives and already hard-pressed NHS staff for an essential service.” | |
The Unison union has said some hospitals are charging staff, including nurses struggling with low wages, nearly £100 a month to park at their own hospitals. | |
An investigation by the union found some nurses were having to rush out in between appointments to move their cars and avoid fines. | |
Scrapping charges was an example of “a Labour government that will stand up for the many, not the few”, Mr Corbyn added – using the slogan he has pinched from Tony Blair. | |
It also embarrasses the Conservatives, after the Government’s repeated promises to ease the burden on patients and staff appear to have fallen flat. | |
Nearly three years ago, Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt announced new guidelines, saying: “Patients and families shouldn't have to deal with the added stress of unfair parking charges. | |
“These clear ground rules set out our expectations, and will help the public hold the NHS to account for unfair charges or practices.” | |
Yet in the 2015-16 financial year, NHS trusts in England netted £120,662,650 in car park charges, up from £114,873,867 the year before. | |
Some trusts earned more than £3m last year in parking charges, including Heart of England (£4.8m), East Kent Hospitals (£3.7m), University Hospital Southampton (£3.4m), and University Hospitals of North Midlands (£3.3m). | |
Private healthcare is currently liable for a 12 per cent insurance premium tax. Labour said it would raise that to 20 per cent, which would bring in up to £377m a year. | Private healthcare is currently liable for a 12 per cent insurance premium tax. Labour said it would raise that to 20 per cent, which would bring in up to £377m a year. |
Even a more cautious estimate of £221m receipts would be more than £60m above the cost of free parking – proving Labour’s pledge was “fully costed and transparent”, the party said. |