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Some hospital parking charges will rise by as much as £3 from Monday, June 2. University Hospitals Tees, the partnership of the North Tees and Hartlepool and South Tees Hospitals NHS

Foundation Trusts, has announced the parking charge increases. They affect the James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough, the University Hospital of North Tees in Stockton, the

University Hospital of Hartlepool, the Peterlee Community Hospital and the Friarage in Northallerton. Parking will still be free for the first 20 minutes, an option highly valued by families

dropping off or picking up loved ones from hospital, with Peterlee's current 10-minute free period doubled. Charges for up to four hours' parking will rise by between 30p and 60p

at the hospitals. At James Cook, North Tees and Hartlepool, parking will be £3.60 for up to two hours, £4.60 for up to four hours, £6.60 for up to 12 hours, and £8 for up to 24 hours. This

seems to offer better value than the current £4.20 charge for up to three hours and £6.30 for up to four hours at James Cook, while the charge for up to two hours will be new at North Tees,

which currently charges £4 for up to four hours. The charges at Peterlee and Friarage will be £2.50 for up to two hours, £4 for up to four hours and £5 for up to 24 hours. In Peterlee

one-hour and three-hour tariffs will no longer be available. The biggest rises in James Cook and North Tees are in charges for up to 12-hour stays, a £1.60 increase for each hospital, along

with a £2 rise in charges for up to 24 hours, and the cost of seven-day permits rising by £3, a 43% increase. 24-hour stays will be up by £1 in Peterlee, 80p in Friarage, with the rates in

those two hospitals said to reflect the fact most patients usually visit for shorter appointments. Steve Taylor, group director of estates said: "We understand this is not welcome news,

but we have kept the increase as low as possible. It’s not feasible to provide free parking for all as the costs of maintaining our car parks cannot be covered by our operating budget.

SURPLUS MONEY DIVERTED INTO PATIENT CARE "Charging for parking ensures only those who need to visit our hospitals use a parking space and ensures a swift turnover of spaces. We would

like to reassure all our patients and visitors that the income from car parking is used to maintain our car parks including the costs of repairs and maintenance, lighting and electricity,

grounds and gritting and security, all of which helps us to retain our 'Park Mark' Safer Parking Scheme accreditation. "Any surplus money is diverted into patient care to

support the delivery of front-line services." As well as the first 20 minutes, University Hospitals Tees will continue to offer free parking for blue badge holders, frequent outpatient

attendees including patients receiving chemotherapy and renal dialysis, and the parents of sick children admitted to hospital overnight only from 7.30pm to 8am. The car park on Hardwick

Road, Stockton, opposite the University Hospital of North Tees, will not increase its tariff. It will continue to offer the first 20 minutes for free, then £2.50 for up to 14 hours. Parking

charges at Teesside hospitals have already attracted controversy this year. New staff parking rates introduced in April for North Tees and Hartlepool and South Tees trust staff meant a 52%

increase of £14 a month, almost £170 a year, for some full-time James Cook staff, with consultants seeing a rise of £25 a month and £300 a year, a rise of more than 80%. These rises prompted

anger from some NHS workers and the union Unite. The trusts said it was the first change in two years and said prices would reflect salary bandings, with some staff seeing reductions,

including some South Tees staff working less than 10 hours a week having to pay £5.37 a month rather than £13.47. More information is available for parking at the University Hospital of

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