Wigan NHS staff left outraged after receiving unjust parking fines near Thomas Linacre Centre

A number of workers at The Thomas Linacre Centre have claimed that the number plate recognition system at the SiP car park across the road is malfunctioning.

Even though staff are paying the £2.50 per day fee, they say they have started receiving penalties, with four people in one department alone being impacted.

One staff member said: “This is utterly disgusting. Having to pay parking every day is bad enough, but to receive fines on a regular basis and having the stress of appealing them is all too much.

“How much money is this firm making off our staff alone? This is fast becoming a regular occurrence and when people try to contact the SiP company they are unable to get through to speak to a human being.”

Some people have been able to appeal their fines after retaining their tickets, while others are unable to provide proof of payment.

One person alleges they paid via an app, but were told her email showing payment was not strong enough proof.

The trust staff member also said: “There is a subsidised multi-storey staff car park at Mesnes Terrace but it is old, cramped and narrow causing cars to be damaged.

“Staff are not permitted to park on the patient car park and there is very limited on site staff parking which is reserved for consultants and department managers.

“It would be nice if the council could allocate some of the street parking spaces. We were able to park here for free in the height of the pandemic.

“Something needs to be done to stop private companies from making major profit from staff who merely travel to the area to provide a health service.”

A spokesman for SiP said: “We are now aware of some third party issues that have resulted in some customers’ payments not being registered, which resulted in initial correspondence with them in relation to possible parking charges.

“We are currently in the process of auditing all such correspondence for this site to allay customer concerns and would encourage anyone who has not been updated already to contact us on email at [email protected].”

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