Free parking for NHS staff introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic will end on Friday in England, Sajid Javid has said.
Parking fees were waived during the Covid-19 pandemic, but Sajid Javid said that the benefit is coming to an end.
The Health Secretary said in an update on coronavirus: "Free parking in hospital car parks for NHS staff introduced during the pandemic will also come to an end on March 31.
"However, over 93% of NHS trusts that charge for car parking have implemented free parking for those in greatest need, including NHS staff working overnight."
He added: "On behalf of the Government, I would like to record my thanks to everyone who has worked tirelessly to keep people safe over the last two years and whose efforts have enabled us to move to the next stage of the Covid-19 response."
Do you work for the NHS and will this impact you? Email webnews@mirror.co.uk
Rachel Harrison, national officer for the GMB union, said: "Charging the NHS staff who've risked their lives during the pandemic to park at work is a sick joke.
"After the years of Tory cuts NHS trusts are struggling, we know.
"But scrabbling the money back off hard up workers is not the answer.
"The Government must now legislate for free hospital staff parking once and for all."
One who will be affected told The Mirror: This has an impact on me as my NHS Trust has said they will be ending all free parking for NHS staff.
"If you're one of the lucky ones who are able to get a parking space in the first place, otherwise we have to pay £7 a day to park.
"As a single parent I cannot afford this so have no choice but to park offsite which means starting earlier and finishing later incurring charges to a before and after school childminder.
"I apparently do not qualify for a space but am told our parking department don’t not have to disclose to me why not."
Another NHS worker, who didn’t want to be named, told the Mirror: “I think it’s just out of order and wrong.
“I pay £25 a month, it comes out of your wage so you have no choice.
“We are really short staffed at the moment, we have flu, Covid, and that’s the thanks we get.
“It doesn’t seem adequate that it’s the NHS workers that are suffering.
“Everybody works hard and is still trying to keep people safe.
“It’s really difficult to keep motivated sometimes.”
TUC general secretary Frances O'Grady told PA: "Our amazing NHS key workers put their lives on the line to get us through this pandemic.
"Scrapping free car parking in the middle of a cost-of-living crisis is a lousy way to repay that service.
"The Government should be giving health staff a proper pay rise - not adding to their bills.
"And it should be funding our NHS properly so that hospitals don't have to rely on car parks for income."
On March 25, 2020, the Department of Health and Social Care released a statement which said: "The government will cover the costs of providing free car parking to NHS staff working in hospitals during this unprecedented time, the Health Secretary has pledged today.
"It comes as the Local Government Secretary has agreed local councils will also offer free car parking to all NHS workers and social care staff during the coronavirus outbreak.
"In the face of this global pandemic it is essential NHS and social care staff are able to carry out their vital work without worrying about paying for car parking.
"Government is rightly committing to providing the financial backing NHS Trusts need to make this a reality in hospitals for the duration of this viral outbreak."
The then Health Secretary Matt Hancock said at the time: "Our NHS is facing an unprecedented challenge, and I will do everything I can to ensure our dedicated staff have whatever they need during this unprecedented time.
"So we will provide free car parking for our NHS staff who are going above and beyond every day in hospitals across England.
"My enormous gratitude goes out to the many NHS Trusts and other organisations already providing free car parking and I urge other Trusts to do the same with our backing.
"We will do what is needed to protect the NHS, support our health and care staff, and save lives as we tackle Covid-19."
The news of the free parking ending comes after news that police will hand out 20 fines to people who attended lockdown-busting parties in Downing Street and Whitehall, Scotland Yard has said.
Detectives have been investigating 12 gatherings during the pandemic, including as many as six events Boris Johnson is believed to have attended.
The Prime Minister is not expected to be among those included in the first wave of fines, which is understood to contain the most straight-forward cases.
