AN EAST Lancashire health campaigner has backed a call for hospitals to change the way they charge for parking.

Consumer magazine Which? wants to see a reduction in the amount people are made to pay to park at hospitals after a survey found some were making profits of up to £1million from the charges.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust did not respond to the survey but latest figures released last year revealed it collected just over £590,000 in parking fees, with almost £253,000 coming from its own staff.

Coun Roy Davies, who is chairman of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s health select committee, said the charges were “ridiculous” and needed reviewing.

Parking at the Royal Blackburn Hospital and Burnley General Hospital costs a minimum of £1.80.

But all the money made from parking goes to the firms responsible for the private finance initiative loans which built the £113million extension to the Royal Blackburn Hospital and £30million Phase Five development at Burnley General.

Some of the cash is used for maintenance, with the remainder being handed back to the trust, which has to make payments totalling more than £20million a year to the firms.

Coun Davies said that he would like to see the introduction of a park-and-ride scheme where patients and visitors could be transported from Burnley and Blackburn town centres to help minimise parking problems.

He also called for a new pricing structure for parking at the hospital so that there was a lower minimum charge.

“I do think the charges are ridiculous,” said coun Davies.

“But if you bring in a private company, they are going to want to make a profit.”

Which? found that Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital, Southampton University Hospitals, Sheffield Teaching Hospitals and East Kent Hospitals each made more than £1million in profit from parking.

Martyn Hocking, editor of Which? magazine, said: “There are good reasons why hospitals charge for their car parks.

“But if they’re making large profits, there’s clearly scope to reduce the amount they charge.”

Earlier this year the hospital trust said that its parking charges were comparable with other trusts and amongst the lowest in the country.