Hospital workers forced to park elsewhere due to £12.50 daily ULEZ charge

By Kiro Evans, Local Democracy Reporter

An NHS boss has warned staff are not parking near their hospital because of an expansion to the £12.50 Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) charge.

Some hospital workers from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich are being forced to leave their cars in streets outside the charging area and walk in to work.

The divisional director of operations for Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust, Kelly Lewis-Towler, said there were “huge implications” for staff, and paying £12.50 a day was “not doable” for those with older vehicles.

The ULEZ was expanded in October last year from central London, and now includes parts of Greenwich. Motorists with cars that do not meet emission standards are charged if they drive through it.

Ms Lewis-Towler was responding to a question from Councillor Brian Bishop on recruitment and staff shortages during Bexley’s community overview and scrutiny committee meeting.

She said: “The trust has tried to support staff for the first three months of the charge, but after that it could have huge implications for us.

“We’ve noticed a lot of staff switching where they park, so parking further away and walking in. But with the constraints of being able to attract people into the area and into the organisations, issues like that are considerable.

“Particularly for nursing staff, the band fours, the band fives, the healthcare assistants. £12.50 is not doable every day.

Pictured top: Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Greenwich (Picture Paul W/Wikimedia Commons)