Speaking on Sky News this morning, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said that the Government’s position on free car parking for NHS staff “had not changed” and they will continue to allow frontline staff to park for free during the pandemic.
NHS staff in Hereford are currently offered free parking at the bus station car park in the city.
This news comes after Health Minister Edward Argar said:
“The provision of free parking for NHS staff by NHS Trusts has not ended and nothing has changed since the announcement on 25 March,” he wrote in response to a question in parliament.
“However, free parking for staff has only been made possible by support from local authorities and independent providers and this support cannot continue indefinitely.”
Piers Morgan then described plans by the government to scrap free parking for NHS workers as ‘utterly disgusting’ on Good Morning Britain this morning.
He said, “It seems to me utterly ridiculous that doctors and nurses and surgeons, everybody else in the health care system have to pay for the privilege of going to hospitals to save our lives.
“And particularly obscene when a global pandemic hits this country and they’re risking their lives,” he continued.
“We know that several hundred NHS workers have died risking their lives for us.
“What’s their reward? We get to July and the first wave appears to have thankfully calmed down
“Their reward is they’re now going to start charging, this was in the iNewspaper as an exclusive last night.”
Piers said: “They’re going to start charging all the people who work in our health system again for parking in hospitals.
“So you’re not only going to risk your life and there may be another wave coming, we don’t know.
“Not only do you have to risk your life to have to pay for the privilege.”
“This reminds me of the NHS surcharge we slapped on migrant workers,” he remarked.
“You can pay to use the health service that you are helping to function.”
“It’s utterly disgusting,” Piers added.
