Health workers at a Glasgow hospital are staging a protest later over a 113% increase in parking fees.The monthly cost of a permit for the multi-storey at Glasgow Royal Infirmary (GRI) has risen from £42 to £89.50.
Parking fees at most Scottish hospitals were abolished in 2009 but remained at three sites where car parks were built under Labour’s Private Finance Initiative (PFI) .
NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said a limited number of £25 permits were available for staff who needed cars.
The multi-storey car park, which opened in 2005, is owned by Impreglio Car Parking and managed by Apcoa under contract to the health board.
Approximately 940 subsidised permits are issued with priority given to staff such as consultants who need to travel between different sites.
Other staff can apply for these permits, but demand outstrips availability and not all applicants are successful.
At the time, Scottish Health Secretary Nicola Sturgeon urged health boards to limit and reduce the charges until the contracts came to an end.
In September, the issue was raised in the Scottish parliament by Glasgow Kelvin MSP Sandra White.
She was told that the first minister sympathised with the staff, but the Scottish Government was bound by the terms of the PFI agreement signed by the previous Labour administration.
A spokeswoman for NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde said: “Unfortunately, as the car park is privately-owned, we do not have any control over any tariff increases that Impreglio choose to make.”
