FREE parking for NHS staff working in hospitals across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will come to an end today.

Parking fees for NHS staff were waived across England during the Covid-19 pandemic, but the Health Secretary Sajid Javid said that the benefit would end on Thursday, March 31.

The Department of Health and Social Care said that the perk was “temporary” and introduced in July 2020 “for the duration of the pandemic”.

It said that the scheme had cost around £130 million over the past two years.

Before the pandemic staff at University Hospitals Dorset Trust, working across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, had to pay upwards of £30 per month - the exact amount depends on salary - for a parking permit. 

A spokesperson for UHD told the Echo that the lowest monthly price for staff members was £14.

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Richard Renaut, UHD's chief strategy and transformation officer: "As the government’s funding to enable free car parking for NHS staff during the pandemic has come to an end, we have made the decision to reinstate staff car park charges from 1 April. 

"The policy and charges have been designed with the input of our staff partnership forum, making sure our limited parking spaces are allocated fairly and transparently, whilst supporting our wider Green Plan by reducing single occupant and peak time car trips. Staff will still be able to park for free overnight as well as at weekends.

"Our parking policy is designed to do the best for our staff, patients and visitors – balancing a range of factors to support travel to and from our hospitals.”

Rachel Harrison, national officer for the GMB union, told the PA news agency: “Charging the NHS staff who’ve risked their lives during the pandemic to park at work is a sick joke.

“After the years of Tory cuts NHS trusts are struggling, we know.

“But scrabbling the money back off hard up workers is not the answer.”

Trades Union Congress general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Our amazing NHS key workers put their lives on the line to get us through this pandemic.

“Scrapping free car parking in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is a lousy way to repay that service.”