I commend The Press’s recent coverage of the 100 per cent increase in staff parking charges at York Hospital (Hospital staff’s parking anger, April 23). I would further urge the newspaper to launch a campaign on behalf of the workers at the hospital. Perhaps The Press could find out what the majority of hospital staff really think?

I would say the management at York Hospital have clearly lost the plot. Doubling the parking charge from 50p to £1 might not seem a huge increase, but it is the principle of the fact that they are raising it by 100 per cent and during a recession. If they are allowed to do this in 2009, what do they propose for 2010 – a rise to £2?

With the couple of hundred, at best guess, spaces available to staff at York Hospital this increase will only raise a few thousand pounds extra in revenue at best, and will certainly be counter-productive in terms of staff morale. The issue of safety it appears has also not been taken into consideration here. While the hospital claims it is doing this to raise revenue to pay for extra security in the car park, how many nurses and health care assistants will be forced to park over the railway bridge in badly lit streets, away from the safety of the hospital grounds?

Public transport is not an option for most staff, who work nights, have early and late starts and work very long shifts, up to 13 hours long. No other emergency staff in York have to pay to park at work; both the police and fire station offer free parking to all their staff. It seems those who claim to represent the views of hospital workers could learn some valuable lessons from those that represent our police officers and firefighters.

Phil Pinder, Fylingdale Avenue, York.