More than £120,000 in parking fines issued at roads near Wigan Infirmary over the last 5 years

Wigan Council issued a total of 5,111 fines between 2018 and 2022, at the five nearest roads to Royal Albert Edward Infirmary accumulating £122,891. It issued fines worth £36,968 in 2022 alone.

In the last year, parking permits have been slowly re-introduced for NHS workers at trusts across the country, following the pausing of charges during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Specialist car group Motorfinity issued Freedom of Information requests to local councils responsible for issuing penalty charge notices (PCN) for the roads surrounding local hospitals in the years 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022.

Across the UK, councils for the nearest five roads to the largest hospitals have accrued £3,228,025 since 2018 for parking fines, and £620,378 in 2022 alone.

The London Borough of Richmond has accrued the most money in fines in the UK, for five roads surrounding Kingston Hospital - £56,444 in 2022, and £324,068 in the last five years.

Hospital staff affected

In Nottingham, some workers at nearby hospitals told Nottinghamshire Live that they had “no choice but to park on side streets” due to being unable to get parking permits.

Dean Skiba, COO at Motorfinity, who has expressed concern over parking fees for frontline workers in the NHS previously, voiced that their parking fine research only further highlights the issue.

Dean said: “With the rising cost of living, frontline workers are seeking ways to save on travelling costs by avoiding hospital car park tariffs and parking on side streets to seek cheaper parking costs, however these can come with hefty fines.

"Staff need to be supported as much as possible with the rising cost of living. Couple rising inflation prices with long shifts that often run into overtime, and a stressful workload, and the parking charges are only likely to exacerbate this stress - and affect the lowest paid.

“Patients and visitors are affected, too. With appointments often running behind schedule due to overworking and understaffing, the pay and park system means that if an appointment overruns, parking fines can ensue. It’s unfair for everyone.”