The problem of parking near Ormskirk Hospital is a long-standing one, and it is residents in areas such as Hall Brow Close, Thompson Avenue, Latham Avenue and Tower Hill who continue to bear the brunt.
Recently, the hospital announced that as of November 1, it is putting its charges up for short stay visitors and staff. So last week I wrote to the Chief Executive of the Hospital Trust to call on them to play their part in trying to find a solution.
It’s simply not good enough for the Trust to take the attitude that it’s just the highways authority’s problem. The hospital is part of the community – not a separate entity – and it has a responsibility to be a good neighbour and play its role alongside other agencies in mitigating its impact on the area.
Over the years, the Trust has sold a lot of their land off for residential development, some of which could have been used to create extra parking.
The Borough Council has recognised the need for more parking spaces in this part of Ormskirk and has actually significantly cut its charges at Derby Street car park from £10 for one hour on Mondays-Fridays to just 70p.
The Hospital Trust need to be a bit more imaginative about how they manage the situation. Through the Freedom of Information Act, I discovered that over a five year period, they raked in more than £2m income through parking charges at the Ormskirk site alone, and in excess of £3m at Southport.
That figure will keep going up now the charges have increased, but it’s no good raising charges without having a long term plan to deal with what is a long term problem for local residents living near the hospital.
Posted by David Sudworth 
