WHETHER York councillors fully thought through the consequences of evening parking charges must now be open to question.

The impact of their decision continues to reverberate. Already the city's leisure sector has raised fears that night-time charging will damage business.

Tourist bosses are dismayed at the potential effect on visitors. A myriad of social clubs are considering whether to disband or move out of the city centre.

And now hospital staff are in the firing line. As part of the new policy, the council has hiked their parking permits up to £1,000.

Quite rightly, York Hospitals NHS Trust is refusing to pay. It is not a profit-fat business that can easily absorb the increase. Its funding priority is front-line medical care.

The hike in permit prices adds up to an outrageous tax on some of York's most important citizens. For hospital workers, a nearby car park is not a staff perk, it is a necessity.

Because of their low level of pay, many nurses cannot afford to live within cycling distance of the hospital. Anti-social hours rule out park and ride.

They need to drive to work and park nearby. Unfortunately, like most cities, ours is not always safe for staff to walk through at night. But the new parking policy could compel them to do just that.

York councillors can park for free in council car parks if they are on official business. No one would dispute that nurses provide an equally valuable public service to this city.

If councillors deserve to be considered a special case, then so do our hospital staff.

Updated: 10:04 Tuesday, March 23, 2004