THOUSANDS of people have signed a petition calling for University Hospital Coventry to end car parking charges which have been likened to ‘a tax on the sick’.
The petition, presented to University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust and Coventry City Council by Coventry Socialist Party, has now passed 16,000 signatures.
Petition organiser Adam Harmsworth said signatures had been gathered from across the city – some from workplaces including UHCW hospital wards.
He said: “We have spoken to thousands of people in this city who are disgusted with the parking charges at our hospital.
“We have met patients and visitors who have struggled with the costs, including relatives of patients terminally ill at the hospital, who have been forced to cut short the time they have left with their loved ones.
“We have met staff who struggle with the costs, especially combined with their low wages. Some told us they quit working at the hospital because it was cheaper to take a pay cut and work elsewhere.”
The car park charges £13.50 for over six hours, meaning staff without a pass working three shifts a week would pay £2,106 every year.
A staff pass costs £57 a month or £684 a year, described by Mr Harmsworth as ‘a horrendous price to park at your own workplace’.
He added: “Coventry is a city with many households already in poverty, who cannot afford frequent hospital visits because of the costs.
“There is no excuse to make profit from a hospital car park, especially not in a cost-of-living crisis that only adds to the financial stress of many.”
A Coventry Socialist Party spokesperson added: “The car park, which is run by ISS Facilities under a Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract, has made millions of pounds in profit every year.
“NHS digital data shows the trust made £10.1million in the 2024-25 financial year, when parking costs for the PFI were just £425,582. That’s £9.7million profit made out of our hospital car park.”
But a spokesperson for University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire (UHCW) NHS Trust said those figures reflected gross income and did not ‘fully represent the complexity of costs and contractual obligations associated with the PFI arrangement’.
They added: “A large proportion of our car parks form part of a PFI contract and, as a result, we generate minimal car park revenue directly from staff, patients or visitors.
“Income generated from car parking contributes to the operational management, maintenance, and infrastructure of the hospital estate.
“While we acknowledge the concerns raised in this petition, any changes to parking charges or contractual arrangements must be carefully considered within the legal and financial framework in which the Trust operates.
“UHCW is committed to supporting those who may be most affected by parking costs. Existing measures include concessions and free parking for certain patient groups, discounts and permit schemes for staff, and free parking in specific circumstances, in line with national NHS guidance – for example, for disabled patients, frequent outpatient attenders, and certain carers.
“We continue to review these schemes to ensure they are applied fairly and consistently.”
The Observer has contacted Coventry City Council for comment.
