Dear Editor

It is with great disappointment I heard about plans to impose parking charges at Ross Community Hospital.

In effect, given the proximity to the town centre, it will be turned into just another shoppers car park with no guarantee to patients or those visiting patients, collecting prescriptions etc. that they will be able to park. Introduction of charging will displace parking, for those wishing to avoid paying, to nearby residential streets or further along Alton Road with the potential to cause traffic jams. Also, is it fair that the staff will have to pay to park when their wages have effectively seen a 14% cut over the last seven years?

The amount raised will be so small as to make no difference to the debts of the NHS Trust, in fact it will probably cost more to police than it will raise.

I understand the people of Ross raised the money to have the Community Hospital built which makes the idea of parking charges even more unpalatable. It should remain free.

Julian Utting

Ross-on-Wye