Parkers “totally abusing” hospital car park

The parking situation at Welshpool Hospital has been described as “absolutely abysmal” by the chair of a key Town Council committee.

It was claimed at this week’s Operations & Development Committee meeting that town centre workers are using the car park for free, clogging up space that is needed for patients and staff from the hospital.

Committee Chair, Cllr Phil Pritchard, said it was “one of my pet hates” and blamed Powys County Council for exacerbating the problem with high prices in the town’s car parks.

“There are plenty of cars parks in this town,” he said, describing the situation as “absolutely abysmal”.

“The problem is, in my view, Powys County Council put the rates for parking there too high and people therefore look for someone else to park. Put the rates down and you will get three times the amount parking there and make double the money.”

Cllr Nick Howells called for the Welsh NHS to adopt a supermarket-style system of allowing two/three hours of free parking before fines are issued.

“That will stop people parking there all day. It is being totally abused,” he said.

Cllr Chris Davies added: “I was working at the hospital four years ago and it was being totally abused then. You could see them at ten-past-five coming to pick up their cars and go home.”

Unlike England, Wales allows free parking at its hospital sites.