Labour vows to scrap hospital car parking charges

Jamie Roberton

Former Health and Science Producer

Jeremy Corbyn has promised to introduce free parking at all NHS hospitals in England if Labour win the general election.

Mr Corbyn said the current charges were a "tax on serious illness" and would be scrapped if his party won power on June 8.

He pledged to fund the policy by raising insurance tax on private healthcare to 20%.

The Conservatives dismissed the proposal, claiming Mr Corbyn "simply wouldn't be able to deliver it".

The Labour leader is placing voters' concerns about the National Health Service at the centre of his election campaign as he seeks to close the gap on the Tories.

Speaking to nursing students in the Conservative-held seat of Worcester, Mr Corbyn said the parking fees placed an "unfair and unnecessary burden on families, patients and NHS staff".

"Our hospitals are struggling from under-funding 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," he said.

Charging for parking in hospitals is a contentious practice, with patient groups accusing NHS trusts of monetising the sick and vulnerable.

Trusts in England collected a reported £120 million in parking fees in 2015.

Hospital parking in Wales and Scotland is largely free.

Many trusts defend the charges, insisting the revenue generated is invested straight back into patient care.

A Conservative Party spokesman said: "This promise isn't worth the paper it's written on because Jeremy Corbyn simply wouldn't be able to deliver it.

"With Corbyn in charge of our Brexit negotiations, the economy and our NHS would be at grave risk. There would be less money to spend in hospitals, not more."