Mid Yorkshire NHS trust criticised over staff parking charges
The NHS trust that runs hospitals in Wakefield and Pontefract collected £1.6 million in staff parking charges last year.
Across Yorkshire Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust was the second highest after Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, at £2.3m.
It is followed by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which collected £1.3m according to analysis of Estates Returns Information for the 2025/26 financial year by the GMB union.
NHS workers across Yorkshire paid a combined £11.7m to park at work.
GMB national secretary Rachel Harrison criticised the charges, saying NHS staff should not have to pay to park at work.
She said: “It's utterly obscene we are still having this debate in 2026. On what planet is it a good idea to charge health workers just for going to work?
“Despite finally getting a pay rise under the Labour Government, NHS workers are underpaid and massively overstretched. They're trying to save lives on a shoestring budget inside a creaking system.
“They need our help and support, not having pounds pinched out of their pocket just for trying to do their job.”
Helen Collins, director of operations – infrastructure at Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, said the organisation recognised the financial pressures facing staff and understood that parking charges could add to the burden on household budgets.
She said: “Our staff work incredibly hard and deserve our support.
“Like other NHS trusts, we have to balance the cost of providing and maintaining our car parks with the need to make the best possible use of our resources for patient-facing services.
“The funds we receive from parking charges are used to help cover the costs of providing parking facilities.
"This has the added benefit of not detracting from the money we would spend on direct patient care. Any additional funds are reinvested back into the trust, to make improvements for the benefit of everyone.
“We aim to ensure our parking arrangements for staff are fair.
"Parking charges vary by pay grade, with those on a higher grade paying the most. In addition, staff who permanently work night shifts or who are blue badge holders do not pay for parking.”