Durham council criticised for free staff parking while nurses charged

Image source, Google

Image caption, Staff and the public have to pay to park at the University Hospital of North Durham

Charging nurses to park while well-paid council directors have free parking has been criticised.

Durham County Council provides more than 1,000 free parking spaces for workers and elected councillors at County Hall in Durham city.

But at nearby University Hospital of North Durham parking costs 拢6 a day.

Liberal Democrat opposition councillor Mark Wilkes criticised the council for "out-of-date travel plans" and employers who "don't have one at all".

"There's thousands of cars parked at County Hall with no charges, directors earning 拢140,000-a-year paying nothing to park here, while across the road [at University Hospital of North Durham] nurses pay to park," he said.

Walking and cycling

The council's current base has 1,028 parking spaces, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The new HQ being built will have access to 337 spaces, of which 200 will be set aside for staff and councillors during working hours.

The council's strategic traffic manager Dave Wafer said it was investing up to 拢21m on improving walking, cycling, public transport and park and ride, subject to government funding.

Staff had access to a range of information on sustainable travel options, he said.

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