Harrogate District Hospital has defended its new parking charges and said the ticketless system is reducing congestion.
Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust introduced a new system and charges on September 6.
The old entry barriers have been replaced by automatic number plate recognition.
Visitors are now entitled to 20 minutes of free parking. It then costs £4 for up to two hours, £6.50 for up to four hours, £8.50 for up to six hours and £11 for up to 24 hours.
The new prices have attracted criticism on social media, with some complaining £4 is a lot to pay for a visit that might only last for 25 minutes.
Visitors previously received 30 minutes free parking and were then charged £2.60 for up to 90 minutes, £3.80 for up to two-and-a-half hours and £6.10 for up to four-and-a-half hours.
A trust spokesperson said:
“Increasing parking charges is never an easy decision to make, but we have to ensure that our car parks are well maintained and safe for patients, visitors and staff.
“All funds gathered from parking charges are invested back into the delivery of patient care and maintaining facilities, such as car parks across the trust.
“Over the next five years we anticipate that we will need to invest significant sums in our car parks and security, and the revenue raised through car parking charges will help us to fund this work.
The old barrier has been removed.
The spokesperson added the trust chose to keep free parking or concessionary rates for certain patients and visitors including blue badge holders, patients receiving cancer treatment, parents visiting the paediatric ward or special care baby unit, and those in receipt of benefits.
They added:
“Parking is also free for the first 20 minutes allowing for patients to be dropped off and collected without the driver needing to pay for parking. It also encourages drivers from waiting in the car park after dropping someone off, ensuring that other people who require our services can find a parking space.”
The spokesperson said car park management firm Parkingeye had not issued any parking charge notices to date because the hospital was operating a grace period.
He did not say how long this would last.
Asked how the new system was working, the spokesman said:
“The new ANPR parking system is helping eliminate congestion on Lancaster Park Road through the removal of barriers which has improved flow into the hospital grounds.
“We welcome feedback from users so that we can further improve on their experience of our new car parking system.”
The ANPR system will be expanded into the trust’s staff car parks in October, where staff will be charged a monthly fee to use the car parking facilities calculated on their vehicle’s emissions, their pay band and their contracted hours.
Read more:
Nidderdale Showground: new cash-only parking system announced
New parking arrangements have been announced for Nidderdale Showground in Pateley Bridge.
NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, said in a statement today it had severed ties with a private company and brought the car park management in-house.
It hopes this will end a turbulent period since it ended a 21-year lease agreement with Harrogate Borough Council to operate the car park last year.
However, neither a date for the new system nor the amount that will be charged, is yet known. Parking is currently free following the breakdown of the arrangement with the private firm.
For many years, the car park was one of three covered by the annual £12 Pateley Bridge parking permit.
The decision to switch to a private company led to some people unaware of the change being fined £60 by automatic number plate recognition cameras.
The society said in a statement today:
“Following a series of challenging months, during which both our society and car park patrons endured a nightmare experience under the management of an external company, we are pleased to announce that we have severed ties with them and terminated their contract.
“Moving forward, we have decided to bring the car park management entirely in-house, ensuring greater control and accountability.
“In the near future, we will be installing a new pay station, featuring a simple cash-only system. With this new setup, tickets will no longer be issued, streamlining the process for visitors.”
The statement said all proceeds generated will continue to be allocated towards the maintenance of the car park and the show field. It added:
“Additionally, we are committed to implementing a comprehensive camera system to monitor the car park and pay station.
“This measure aims to address issues such as vandalism and persistent abuses of the facilities. By adopting this down-to-earth and hassle-free approach, we aim to create a safer and more secure environment for everyone.”
Read more:
- New parking arrangements at Nidderdale Showground due ‘shortly’
- Councillor ‘shocked and disappointed’ by parking changes at Nidderdale Showground
- Call for speed bumps on Pateley Bridge High Street
New parking arrangements at Nidderdale Showground due “shortly”
New parking arrangements at Nidderdale Showground in Pateley Bridge are due to be revealed “shortly”.
NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, ended a 21-year lease agreement with Harrogate Borough Council to operate the car park and appointed a private company last year.
The move was controversial because the car park was previously one of three covered by the annual £12 Pateley Bridge parking permit and some people unaware of the change were fined £60 by automatic number plate recognition cameras.
But the cameras are currently not working, and Pateley Bridge Town Council‘s monthly meeting last week heard the agricultural society was “desperately trying to get out of the contract” with the private company.
The parking meters at the showground are not currently working.
The council said it had received an email from the agricultural society saying “it had realised what they have done is wrong and has damaged their reputation” and they wanted “a more supportive approach” from the town council. The council sympathised with their situation and agreed.
Read more:
- New parking charges at Nidderdale Showground branded ‘unfair’
- Call for speed bumps on Pateley Bridge High Street
Speaking after the meeting Cllr Andrew Murday, a town councillor who also represents Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire Council, said it was “an unsatisfactory situation that I hope can be resolved” between the agricultural society and the private company.
A spokesperson for the agricultural society said:
“The current car park system has closed down and we will release a statement shortly with the new plans.”
The car park at the showground.
A senior Harrogate borough councillor has said he was shocked and disappointed to discover new parking arrangements had been introduced at Nidderdale Showground.
NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground, has ended a 21-year lease agreement with Harrogate Borough Council to operate the car park and appointed a private company instead.
The company has introduced automatic number plate recognition cameras to the car park and does not accept the council’s £12 annual Pateley Bridge parking permit, which includes parking at the showground and Southlands car park.
It means people who bought the permit in spring now have to pay extra to park at the showground — even though the deal they signed up to was for 12 months.
Cllr Stanley Lumley. Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, said:
“It is my understanding the agricultural society who own the land decided not to renew the lease with Harrogate Borough Council and instead contracted with a commercial company to manage the site
“This was a shock and disappointment to me, Harrogate Borough Council have provided Pateley Bridge with a valuable asset to the town, we welcome visitors and parking is an essential need especially during the holiday season.”
Cllr Lumley added:
“When we were selling the parking permit to local residents for short stay visits it was eligible for parking at all the Harrogate Borough Council parking sites in the town, we had no idea a change in the showground was due, we provided permits in good faith.
“I think it is a great shame this change has happened and I hope people who will have been parking there for many years aren’t caught out and fined.”
Read more:
- New parking charges at Nidderdale Showground branded ‘unfair’
- Pateley Bridge Christingle service returns to St Cuthbert’s
The comments by Cllr Lumley, a Conservative elected to represent Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale Moors on Harrogate Borough Council, follow criticism of the new arrangement by Andrew Murday, a Liberal Democrat who represents Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale on North Yorkshire County Council.
Cllr Murday said people had bought permits in good faith and should be entitled to use them in the showground for the full 12 months they had paid for. He added:
“It is a disgrace. People have been blindsided and it’s unfair to issue fines.”
‘We don’t receive any revenue from this’
The society published a statement yesterday, which said:
“Due to the council’s 21-year lease ending on the car park, the decision was made to hand over the running of the car park to a private company.
“We also took the decision to keep the charges to exactly the same rate as the council charged.
“We understand that unfortunately some people have prepaid car park passes, which are no longer viable for the showground car park, but these could be used in the other car parks in Pateley Bridge.
“The car park now operates on an ANPR camera system which registers number plates on entry. There is a window of 10 minutes to park, pay or leave. Failure to do this unfortunately results in a fine which in no way is charged by the show society, and who do not receive any revenue from this.
“At present to pay an annual parking pass can be downloaded onto your smart phone or there is a number to ring and pay using card details.
“A card pay machine is to be fitted due hopefully by mid January 2023 to make payment simpler.
“The show society apologises for any confusion.”
Pateley’s annual permit still applies to the town’s Southlands car park, which continues to be operated by Harrogate Borough Council.
New parking charges at Nidderdale Showground branded ‘unfair’NIdderdale Agricultural Society has apologised for confusion caused by sudden changes to parking at Nidderdale Showground car park.
Many people were taken by surprise by the recent introduction of automatic number plate recognition cameras to the car park in Bewerley.
Some were also unaware the annual £12 Pateley Bridge parking permit no longer applied to the showground and they were liable for fines if they continued using the site without paying the daily charge, which ranges from 50p an hour to £1.80 a day.
Pateley’s parking permit traditionally runs from April to April and the decision to change the rules before the current permit has expired drew an angry response from Andrew Murday, the Liberal Democrat county councillor for Pateley Bridge and Nidderdale.
He told the Stray Ferret:
“Whoever is responsible has ridden roughshod over the previous arrangement, which should have been honoured until the end of March.
“People in all good faith bought permits that entitled them to park in the showground car park until then.
“It is a disgrace. People have been blindsided and it’s unfair to issue fines.”
Cllr Andrew Murday
Asked if there had been any consultation on the new system, Cllr Murday said there had been “absolutely none”.
Read more:
- Pateley Bridge Christingle service returns to St Cuthbert’s
- Pateley school rated ‘good’ by Ofsted after major changes
NIdderdale Agricultural Society, which owns the showground and stages the annual Nidderdale Show, previously leased the car park to Harrogate Borough Council.
‘We don’t receive any revenue from this’
The society published a statement today, which said:
“Due to the council’s 21-year lease ending on the car park, the decision was made to hand over the running of the car park to a private company.
“We also took the decision to keep the charges to exactly the same rate as the council charged.
“We understand that unfortunately some people have prepaid car park passes, which are no longer viable for the showground car park, but these could be used in the other car parks in Pateley Bridge.
“The car park now operates on an ANPR camera system which registers number plates on entry. There is a window of 10 minutes to park, pay or leave. Failure to do this unfortunately results in a fine which in no way is charged by the show society, and who do not receive any revenue from this.
“At present to pay an annual parking pass can be downloaded onto your smart phone or there is a number to ring and pay using card details.
“A card pay machine is to be fitted due hopefully by mid January 2023 to make payment simpler.
“The show society apologises for any confusion.”
Pateley’s annual permit still applies to the town’s Southlands car park, which continues to be operated by Harrogate Borough Council.
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said:
“Nidderdale Showground is owned and managed by Nidderdale Agricultural Society so you would need to speak to them regarding the parking system in place.
“Previously we have managed car parking at the showground but this is no longer the case.”