Nuneaton’s MP Marcus Jones has spoken in Parliament during a debate to scrap hospital car parking charges.

During a short speech in the Commons on Monday 1 September, the town’s MP made clear his view that hospital car parking charges should be scrapped.

The MP has welcomed recent guidelines from Government to support the most vulnerable patients and families which include measures for concessions, including free or reduced charges or caps, for the people with disabilities, frequent outpatient attenders, visitors with relatives who are gravely ill, visitors to relatives who have an extended stay in hospital and for staff working shifts that mean public transport cannot be used. Other concessions for volunteers or staff who car-share should be considered locally.

Yet the town’s voice in Parliament has urged the Government to go further and has called for hospital car parking charges to be scrapped. In the meantime, he believes hospitals should not charge patients for parking if their appointment is delayed or cancelled by the NHS.

Commenting on the debate, Marcus said: “My message is very simple: hospital car parking charges should be scrapped. I do, however, appreciate that some hospitals are between a rock and a hard place because of the hugely expensive PFI schemes that were used by the last Labour Government, which means that patients are being treated as a cash cow for income generation.

“Charges at the George Eliot Hospital, in comparison to others in the country, are more reasonable than most, yet people should not be punished financially for attending a medical appointment, or for visiting an ill relative in hospital. I’ve strongly welcomed the new guidance issued by Government but have urged Ministers to go further, which would benefit millions of people up and down the country.”