Parking charges campaign over Coventry hospital

More than 4,000 people are supporting a campaign on social networking site Facebook to get parking charges abolished at a hospital.

The initiative relates to charges at University Hospital in Coventry.

One person who has joined the Facebook group, Babs Hopley, of Chapelfields said it was "ridiculous" to pay £20 over two days in January.

The hospital said it does not make money out of car parks or set charges and pays a private provider.

'Legally bound'

In a statement, it added: "We understand how important it is for people to park on site while they are receiving treatment or visiting a patient.

"University Hospital is a PFI hospital and is legally bound by a contract, signed in 2002, to pay a private provider for the use of its car parks.

"To scrap car parking charges while the contract is in place would cost the trust £2.4m each year from its healthcare budgets which, to put into context, is like closing two to three wards.

"That would inevitably mean cuts in services to the people who use the hospital every day.

"The hospital does not make any money out of car parks, nor does it set the charges."