By Graham Huband

NHS TAYSIDE will be left with a £350,000 black hole in its finances due to the Scottish Government’s policy of abolishing hospital parking charges, it was revealed yesterday.

From January, the health authority will no longer be allowed to generate income from drivers but will still have to pay out for maintaining and operating its various car parks.

The government confirmed it would not be reimbursing NHS Tayside for its estimated annual loss of £350,000, however, and said it expected the body to come in line with other Scottish health authorities and find the cash within its budgets.

The situation—which predominantly affects Perth Royal Infirmary as charging will continue at the privately-operated car parks at Ninewells in Dundee—was highlighted by North East Scotland MSP Marlyn Glen yesterday.

She had written to NHS Tayside chief operating officer Gerry Marr to query the situation and its affect on funding.

Mr Marr replied, “I can confirm that estimated cost of the annual operation and maintenance of the PRI car park will be circa £350,000 for 2009/10.

“In terms of additional funding support from the Scottish Government to compensate for the loss of income, I have, to date, not yet received confirmation either way as to whether or not we shall receive any such compensation.”

The Courier contacted the Scottish Government for clarification and was told that health authorities would be expected to subsume the costs of operating car parks at their properties from April.

However, the spokeswoman said funding of £1.4 million was being made available to the five authorities that operate car park charging schemes to ease the transition.

The cash will cover lost income from the period when charging ends at the end of 2008 to the start of the new financial year.

The spokeswoman said, “From April 1 next year, they (NHS Tayside and the four other health boards) will have to manage the way that their colleague boards do already.

“The majority of boards in Scotland do not charge and they have managed to run car parks without resorting to charging.”

Ms Glen said government should cover the shortfall.

She said, “The result of the latest policy of the SNP government is that the abolition of car parking charges will mean that money will ultimately be taken from the budgets of health boards such as NHS Tayside.

“To remain fair and consistent across Tayside, the car parking charges should have been removed at all hospital car parks and the health board given extra funds to cover the cost of maintaining car parking facilities in the next financial year.

“Health budgets across NHS Tayside must be protected from one of the less well known consequences of the Scottish Government’s biased scrapping of hospital car parking charges.”