By Alan Healy
The Western Trust is to look at increasing car parking charges at Altnagelvin Hospital, it has emerged.
The move comes just days after it emerged that the Trust had made over half a million pounds from its car park over the past two years.
The figures, which were obtained through a Freedom of Information request lodged by the Belfast Telegraph showed that Altnagelvin Hospital's car parks brought in £261,980 over the 2015/16 period, with £283,382 brought in over the 2016/17 financial year – a total of £545,362 over two years.
However, it’s now emerged that the Trust is now considering implementing an increase to its current car parking charges.
The move was revealed at Thursday afternoon’s meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Health and Community committee, where senior figures from the Trust were in attendance.
Speaking at the meeting, Teresa Molloy, Director of Performance & Service Improvement with the Trust, said that it had taken steps to ‘mitigate’ increases in charges at the car park.
However, she added that a temporary increase had been introduced on November 1, adding that the Trust would now be looking at ‘making that increase permanent’, with a possible consultation planned for next month.
Ms Molloy told the meeting that any income generated from the charges goes back into the ‘upkeep of the car parks or wider Trust services’.
Review
The Derry News contacted the Western Trust requesting more information on the proposals, with a spokesperson confirming that it was currently conducting a review of car parking charges at Altnagelvin, the results of which will be presented to the Board of the Western Trust next month.
“The Western Trust continues to review the car parking charge rates and all associated costs on the three affected sites – Altnagelvin, South West Acute and the Omagh Hospital and Primary Care Complex site,” the spokesperson said.
“It is anticipated that the outcome of this review will be considered at Trust Board on December 7, 2017 and any proposal to increase car parking charge rates would be subject to the appropriate level of consultation thereafter.”
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