PARKING charges at Hereford County Hospital top the bill at two key meetings this week.

A public show of opposition to the charges comes at Herefordshire Council on Friday.

There, members will debate a motion calling on the council to back the principles outlined in recent NHS guidelines on hospital parking being applied to Hereford County Hospital.

The motion, proposed by Cllr Graham Powell and seconded by Cllr Kema Guthrie, is expected to secure wide support.

Behind the scenes, Wye Valley NHS Trust (WVT) was this week is to “go through” the guidance with PFI partner Mercia Healthcare ahead of a report to the Trust board due in November.

The principles were published by the Department of Health in August setting out expectations that:

• Charges should be reasonable for the area

• Concession arrangements should be available for people with disabilities, frequent attenders and staff working shifts

• Clear display of charges, concessions and penalties should be made to the public and visitors at car park entrances

• Trusts should publish their car parking policies

WVT is expected to set out its position on the principles at its public board meeting in November.

The trust says the meeting with Mercia this week is to “ensure” Mercia’s contribution to the board report.

Pressure is mounting to cut parking charges at the hospital slammed as a "sick tax".

The hospital's PFI contract partners have already been been warned of "political implications" if they don't reduce the fees.

Jesse Norman, MP for Hereford and South Herefordshire, previously told the Hereford Times that the said the charges - among the highest in the country - should be re-assessed in the light of new government guidelines announced this week.

Healthwatch Herefordshire also wants fresh talks over the cost of parking and how it could be made more affordable.

Public anger has also been expressed in a petition against the charges which topped more than 2,000 signatures.

The fees are managed by the PFI partners and offer little financial benefit to the hospital itself.

Using the hospital car park currently costs £3.50 for the first hour, rising to £5 for two hours, £6 for three hours, £7 for up to four hours, £12 for nine hours and £15 for 24 hours.

These figures are due to rise again before 2016 under the current contract.

Cash-strapped WVT has ruled out a return to offsetting parking costs after it spent £300,000 on subsidies between 2008 and 2011.

The trust board has agreed, instead, to encourage more use of concessions.

Under the 30-year PFI deal that enabled the hospital to be built in 2002, management of the car park is sub-contracted over a 10-year term – signed off in 2006 – to Car Parking Plus on behalf of Mercia Healthcare, WVT’s contract partner.

The hospital is owned and managed through Mercia, which is a company 75% owned by Semperian, a London-based PFI firm, and 25% owned by French industrial giant Sodexo.