Popular support for allowing patients and their families to use the car parks has won backing across the political divide as pressure mounts for action.
Started by Cllr Andrew Cross, a county councillor for Warndon Parish, the petition has already won support from fellow Green Katie Collier and senior Liberal Democrat councillor Mel Allcott who spoke in an open letter to county council leader Simon Geraghty of the desperation people felt over the issue.
The online petition was launched just over a fortnight ago (on Friday, December 13) but continues to gather momentum. However, the county council has given no indication it intends to give the suggestion the green light.FRUSTRATION: Cllr Andrew Cross at the empty County Hall car parks which he argues should be used by Worcestershire Royal Hospital patients as a temporary measure (Image: James Connell/Newsquest photos) Both Cllr Cross and Cllr Allcott say they are frustrated to see patients, visitors and staff struggling to find parking spaces at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and stuck in long queues getting in and out of the car parks.
Meanwhile, potential solutions such as park and ride and a multi-storey car park, which might offer some respite, have yet to come to fruition.
Cllr Cross said he had emailed Cllr Allcott to thank her for her support in the hope there can be a motion to open up the empty County Hall car parks, which are virtually unused, to patients, visitors and staff at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester.
He added: “I am very grateful to Mel (Cllr Allcott) for adding her voice to call on our County Council’s political leader to make use of the unused parts of County Hall car parks to alleviate the daily misery of congestion at Worcester Royal Hospital. I have invited Mel to second a motion for February’s full council meeting, and hope her political group members agree to this.”
As previously reported, Mel Allcott wrote an open letter to Simon Geraghty, leader of Worcestershire County, asking the leader of Worcestershire County Council to give hospital patients permission to park at the car parks.
GRIDLOCK: The road at Worcestershire Royal Hospital in Worcester at a standstill (Image: Supplied by Worcester Green Party)
The suggestion comes after a delay to the park-and-ride scheme at Sixways for hospital staff which had been planned to reduce congestion around the hospital site.
Meanwhile, a multi-storey car park will take months to build and so offers no quick fix to the problem which adds stress to patients at times when they may already be suffering from ill-health.
Under the heading, ‘Gift of Car Park Kindness this Christmas’, Cllr Allcott, a Worcester city and county councillor for Claines, Unity Group Leader and Mayor of Worcester, wrote: “I am writing to you in my capacity as leader of the Unity group at Worcestershire County Council.
“I am requesting you give a gift this Christmas, to the patients at Worcestershire Royal Hospital and their visitors, friends and family.”
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A Worcestershire County Council spokesperson said in a previous statement: “While the main County Hall offices are not in use, the car park is still needed to accommodate staff and visitors to the wider County Hall campus including Wildwood.
“The County Hall car park has also been used to accommodate specialist contractor vehicles and equipment for ongoing investigative works.”
County Hall has been closed since June 21 and the car parks stand virtually empty and underused.
The closure occurred when the legionella bacterium was found in the water supply, compounded by the existence of dangerous concrete.
The presence of RAAC means parts of County Hall have been off-limits since September 2023.
To sign the petition visit actionnetwork.org/petitions/open-county-hall-for-hospital-parking.