RUH parking company under fire

THERE has been no let up in the anger and criticism aimed at the RUH in Bath and its parking policy.

Dozens of people have come forward to complain about unfair fines following the stories run in Melksham News over the past month.

And we have continued to receive complaints from people saying they have been unfairly charged by ParkingEye, the company that runs the parking at the RUH.

Melksham Seniors – the group set up to represent the over 55s in the town – has taken up the issue, and written to James Scott, chief executive of the NHS Foundation Trust at the RUH. Representatives from the Seniors group are organising a meeting with the RUH to try to resolve the issue.

Now, Parking Eye has come under fire in the Daily Mail in a story last week entitled “Parking Cowboys prey on 5m drivers a year…”

In the article, the Daily Mail said, “Motoring group RAC estimates that almost £500million in penalties may have been issued by parking companies in 2016/17.

“Parking companies have been criticised by MPs for targeting motorists using hospital car parks or visiting High Street stores.

“Drivers have complained about being fined up to £100 for returning to their cars a few minutes late, or after being unable to buy a ticket because of a faulty machine.

“In extreme cases, families have faced financial ruin after unfair parking fines have resulted in County Court judgments against them.

“But despite promises by ministers to crack down, some parking companies have ramped up efforts to catch out motorists.”

The Daily Mail continues, “The most prolific of the private firms is ParkingEye, owned by outsourcing firm Capita which was recently exposed by the Daily Mail for using ruthless tactics to collect licence fees for the BBC…The firm operates thousands of car parks on behalf of pubs, restaurants, supermarkets, shopping centres and hospitals.

“Three years ago ministers promised to investigate parking abuses. But after publishing responses to a consultation last May, the Department for Communities and Local Government has failed to take any action.”

A ParkingEye spokesperson told the Daily Mail, “’We strongly refute any suggestion that we operate inappropriately. We encourage people to appeal if they think they should not have received a parking charge, and instructions about how to do this are on all communications and on our website.”