HEALTH bosses have abandoned plans to increase car parking charges for staff.

East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust was hoping to introduce a daily parking charge of £2, up from £1.50.

But that has been scrapped after staff protests.

Gary Palmer, a regional organiser with the GMB union, said: “A huge well done is deserved by the GMB members and hospital staff who stood up to argue how unfair the planned staff parking increases were.

“Bosses took notice of our campaign to scrap the fee hike after workers and our members had threatened lunchtime demonstrations and a ‘day of disobedience’ where the staff would refuse to pay any parking charges.”

A petition calling on the East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust to scrap the fees was signed by nearly 1,200 people.

It said: “Considering the profits the Trust makes from the charges, which run to around £1,250,000 a year, I don’t see why that cannot be used to pay for the parking improvements which are claimed to be necessary.

“This came about as staff realised that what they had been promised by the government in terms of pay rises had not materialised.

“These fee rises were enough to push people over the edge.”

In his letter, hospital chief executive Dr Adrian Bull wrote: “Having listened to your comments along with direct feedback... we have decided to cancel the further increase on April 1, 2019.”

However he warned that the challenges the Trust faces with car parking remain, especially with regards to limited spaces for both staff and members of the public.

He also said that all current parking initiatives would come under review at the end of 2019, at which point parking charge increases would again be debated.

The fee hikes were not the first increases to staff parking charges in recent months.

This month they went up from £1 to £1.50.

Mr Palmer said that his union would continue to consult members regarding further action over the recent charge increases.

He said: “I remain concerned though that the Trust briefing doesn’t go far enough in reversing exorbitant parking increases and that this might only be a temporary one-year reprieve.

“The Trust’s directors must realise that they cannot use their staff as a cash cow, because they are the people who keep these hospitals running.”