INCOME from car parking charges at Airedale Hospital has soared, new figures show.

Data reveals that in 2022-23, patients and visitors forked out a total of £669,858.

The figure compares to £426,493 the previous year.

Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Bradford Royal Infirmary and St Luke's, also saw an increase in money generated by its parking charges.

In 2022-23, fees brought in £654,540, which compares to £464,683 the previous year – a 40.9 per cent rise.

The statistics were obtained by the Liberal Democrats.

Daisy Cooper, the party's deputy leader and health and social care spokesperson, says: "Hospital car parking fees are becoming a tax on caring."

In response, a spokesperson for Airedale NHS Foundation Trust said: "Revenue from car parking is reinvested into the maintenance and safety of our car parks, and any surplus is invested in patient services.

"We’ve installed electric car charging points for patients and visitors to support sustainability. We have also upgraded our CCTV and security, making parking safer for patients, visitors and staff.

"We have recently built a 100-space deck car park for staff, which opened last summer, to make it easier for our staff and therefore our patients to park.

"Blue badge holders can park for free, and we have increased the number of blue badge spaces across the site to make it easier to find accessible parking places. We also offer the first 20 minutes parking for free, which benefits over 36,000 patients and visitors every year.

"Concessionary permits are available for visitors to patients who are likely to be in hospital longer than a week."

And a spokesperson for Bradford Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said: "Our trust’s aim is to keep parking charges as low as possible, and they have not risen since 2015.

"We do not charge for parking for official blue badge holders, and we also provide free parking passes and parking concessions to patients who are undergoing treatment which requires frequent hospital visits, such as cancer treatment.

"The money we receive goes towards the maintenance and improvement of all car parks at both our hospitals, including ensuring the safety and security of our patients, staff and visitors by way of regular patrols, provision of CCTV and lighting, and also through gritting and snow clearing in adverse weather. Should any surplus money be generated, this supports our patient services."