I'm not allowed to park at work anymore!

[Carrie370]

I just wrote a huge long thread which has disappeared ... I'll summarise, as I just can't type it all out again!

The hospital where I work has just changed its car parking policy because it has sold off so much parking land, it can't accommodate all the cars any more. Although I provide emergency on call cover, this is the same day each week, so I only qualify for one day permits, not the general permit I have had (until now) for the last 16 years.

So ... my application has been refused. I am going to appeal, because I cannot, as has been suggested, take the park and ride to work - I have 2 primary school age children, I'm a single parent, and I cannot reconcile my childcare responsibilities with fulfilling my contract (as I have successfully managed for the last 10 years)

I have spent hours on the Internet, trying to find legislation to back up my appeal, but nothing under any discrimination/equality and diversity/family rights/employment law seems to come anywhere near fitting my circumstances. Anyone out there with ideas?!

I suspect you will get your permit back if you say you need to start later. That's what happened to me

I will try the BMA - otherwise I will go down the road of starting at 930am or something similar. Thank you all xx

You have my smpathies but I doubt there is anything you can do. I am a community nurse and have always (up until last year) had a permit to park in the car park opposite our office base (city centre). This was removed last year when budgets got cut. As a community nurse you can imagine we are in and out of the office all day and it is a real pain in the arse now, we either pay to use the car park or find a space further away and walk to and from car.

I'm sorry your routine has been disturbed but if I am totally honest, if you are a hospital consultant, presumably you can afford an alternative, ie, pay for your parking, find a space to rent close by, etc.

I earn probably half what you earn and my parking space is indispenable. Until a few years ago it was free for all staff - due to constraints in London we now have to pay. The numbers parking have reduced year on year as charges have increased but still I pay it.

My sympathies really are for lower paid staff who might have to be suffering as a result of this and for the families of patients who are now charged a fortune to park at visiting time at most hospitals and for those who incur additional car park charges because they are kept waiting for appointments and pay & display clocks up the time they arrived and the time they leave and no matter if their appointment was at 10 and they weren't seen until 11.45.

If you feel brave then park without a permit and proceed to ignore all the tickets you get. They're not legally enforceable and will give up chasing you after a while.

I work in a hospital and we have to pay for a permit, but often don't get a space. I got a ticket the other day which has been chucked in the bin.

I feel your pain. DH's office is on an industrial park. This week two departments have merged and there isn't going to be enough parking for everyone.

Worse, there aren't enough desks for everyone so if you are lucky enough to find a desk you have to clear it at the end of the day & put your stuff in a locker. DH has had to get rid of a load of reference books & reports. He is also now faced with the possiblity of having to park a couple of miles away, bike in, & then possibly find there's no place for him to work so he has to go back & work from the car!

And all in the name of 'efficiency'.

He hasn't been able to find out yet whether the hot-desking applies to the managers or their secretaries

There are websites where people rent out their drive space in areas where parking is at a premium. Maybe those would be of help for you to find a parking space nearby?

I'm an NHS community clinician who has car use as part of my job spec....we get a monthly permit to park but we have to pay for it.
Damned cheek if it is supposed to part of out job to be in and out in our cars...but this is how it is going everywhere.

And don't get me started on 'hot desking'

Sorry if I sound harsh, but I've worked in the NHS forever (in various organisations) and for the vast majority of that time its been a case of sorting your own parking out (even when on call in my case). Not sure why it should be any different for you, other than when you are on call.

I pay to rent someone's drive nearby. Why dont you try that.

How about going on Gumtree and seeing if someone would be willing to sell you a resident's permit?

Ooh selks I feel the hot desking pain!!! It is a right royal pain in the arse

Thanks for all your suggestions. Unfortunately, anything that doesn't let me park on site will not let me be both employee (doing my job in a professional and efficient way) and mother (coordinating a smooth start to the school day). I have managed both for a long time and I'm not going to let this go without a hard fight.

I just don't get this - I haven't got one why should you have one - attitude that permeates society at the moment.

The OP has had a parking space for 16 years. This is a significant change for her - it isn't one I could manage and op is a single parent to boot.

It's akin to asking her to take a pay cut.

You have my every sympathy op.

I very much agree with Whatnamethistime's post; some of the comments on this thread do come across as rather churlish.
You have my sympathies, OP; I understand that something like this can be the straw that breaks the camel's back and digs still further into the precious family time that you don't have enough of already. Good luck in your fight and let us know how you get on.

So what I did in a similar circumstance was contact the parking dept at the council and they were able to give me an option to rent a parking space at a Council property near my workplace. I had a list to chose and it wasn't very expensive.

OP - you have my sympathies. Our local trust has implemented at 4hr rule where you must move your car after 4hrs to a different space. There are some permits available but at like hens teeth and strangely enough, only top management have managed to secure one, nursing and medical staff have to lump it. I'm lucky that I just get into work very early but when on a nightshift I'm arriving during visiting and have been known to struggle to get a space even in the local roads when the residents are coming home with their cars.

It is effectively a change in our working conditions but in this economic climate, no one will listen to our concerns.

Carrie take legal advice, you do have a sex discrimination claim here. Depending on whether this can be justified.

That sucks.

I'd be tempted to design my own permit, CONSULTANT ON CALL XYZ DEPT, cut and paste NHS logo and that of whatever car parking contractor you have, print it off and stick it in your windscreen. And as VivaLaBeaver says, ignore any 'tickets'. Your home made permit is as valid as their home made fines tbh.

Is there a patients' car park on site? Can you pay to use that if you really need to be in site but don't qualify for a free one? It's not nice, after having been used to free parking but it's quite common to have to pay to park at or near work if you're in a town centre.

I hope you fight and win

I would threaten to quit. Or ask for a payrise equivalent to taxi fares. Are others in same situation?

Could you go to work in jeans, park in patients car park then get changed?

Ask to meet persoanlly with the director responsible for parking and explain the situation and what impact the changes will have on your ability to do your job. This may be sufficient.

My senior manager has written a firmly-worded letter to the head of estates, pointing out that the Hospital has a duty to allow me to balance work and childcare, that clinical services cannot run if I am not at work on time, and implying that they will lose a 'valued and extremely experienced member of staff' :) if they don't reverse their decision.

Watch this space ...