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mark occomore
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 9955 Location: UK
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:17 am Post subject: Cut Car Park Prices In England |
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Scotland are scrapping Carparking charges across there Hospitals. I think England needs to follow suit or cut the charges to £1 a day.
Why should we continue to pay another Tax? NHS budget should add things like security and maintaining car parking facility's.
England should Follow Scotland? |
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Rachel Guest
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 11:50 am Post subject: |
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Mark,
hospital parking charges actually lower the tax burden on the nation because the charges fund the maintenence and running of the car-parks at a local level and by only those people who use the car-parks.
It strikes me as a little odd- when owners of cars costing many thousands of pounds, with road tax and insurance costs as well as running costs added on top of that , then moan about having to pay a couple of quid to park their car in a hospital but cheerfully pay to park when they go shopping. One would hope that most people go shopping far more often than they visit a hospital. It seems like a really weak argument to me. You cannot reasonably say - I'm afluent enough to run a car but there's nothing left over to park it at a hospital.
In some cases however; - people with long term illness and lengthy stays in hospital and their regular vistors should be given a free permit for the duration of the hospital stay so that there is no additonal burden or worry for them while they recover. |
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RockitRon
Joined: 07 Dec 2006 Posts: 7646
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Posted: Wed Sep 03, 2008 12:49 pm Post subject: |
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Bravo, Rach!
I'll warrant that that's not a view that you're likely to see expressed in the media, or hear from anyone in the NHS or across the party political spectrum, whether they agree with it or not.
Why should the NHS have to bear the cost of maintaining car the not inconsiderable car parking facilities, and the roads and traffic management systems required to get you there, not to mention the land space which could be put to better use? How often have we heard the cry that the NHS should be more efficient and put more into the medical care of patients - any "non-core" expense (and I know car parks are just one) which isn't covered by outside income cannot really be justified.
Every hospital that I have come across in England (OK, fortunately, not that many) has excellent public transport links in its area (and in Nottingham there is a frequent, free service which links buildings within and between its two main campuses). People should use those as far as possible - it would be far more healthy for all concerned as well.
The Scottish Government have taken this decision because they can. They have a separate budget which is subsidised by the British Government and taxpayer, you and me. They have decided that, within that budget, they can afford in turn to subsidise car parking costs at hospitals, in the same way they subsidise the cost of further education, bridge and ferry crossings, and prescription charges (which they have reduced to £5.00). When their patients moan about waiting lists or lack of facilities in a given area (like anywhere 50 miles beyond the Glasgow-Edinburgh corridor) are they going to say "Yes, but you haven't had to pay to park your car, have you?" _________________ Ron |
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