HOSPITAL patients and visitors in the Bradford district forked out more than £1.7million for car parking last year, new figures show.

Statistics obtained by the Liberal Democrats reveal Airedale NHS Foundation Trust raked in £1,089,050 from such fees during 2022-23, up from £426,493 the previous year - a 155.4 per cent rise.

Meanwhile, Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust made £654,540 in parking revenue from patients and visitors in 2022-23, while it brought in £464,683  the previous year - a 40.9 per cent increase.

The Liberal Democrats' health and social care spokesperson Daisy Cooper said: "Hospital car parking fees are becoming a tax on caring."

In response, a spokesperson from Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said: "Revenue from car parking is reinvested into the maintenance and safety of our car parks, and any surplus is invested in patient services.  

"We've installed electric car charging points for patients and visitors to support sustainability. We have also upgraded our CCTV and security, making parking safer for patients, visitors and staff.

"We have recently built a 100-space deck car park for staff, which opened last summer, to make it easier for our staff and therefore our patients to park.

"Blue badge holders can park for free, and we have increased the number of blue badge spaces across the site to make it easier to find accessible parking places. We also offer the first 20 minutes parking for free, which benefits over 36,000 patients and visitors every year.

"Concessionary permits are available for visitors to patients who are likely to be in hospital longer than a week."

A spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust added: "The trust's aim will always be to keep parking charges as low as possible, and charges have not risen since 2015.
 
"We do not charge for parking for official blue badge holders, and we also provide free parking passes and parking concessions to patients who are undergoing treatment which requires frequent hospital visits, such as cancer treatment.
 
"The money we receive goes towards the maintenance and improvement of all car parks at both our hospitals, including the safety and security of our patients, staff and visitors by way of regular security patrols, the provision of CCTV and lighting, and also through gritting and snow clearing in adverse weather conditions. Should any surplus money be generated, this is used to support our patient services."