Essential users and carers parking permit consultation

We asked for your feedback on proposals to develop our Healthcare Workers Permits (HWP) and to identify if there was support for proposals to introduce parking permits for carers in Edinburgh.

The consultation ran from 6 March till 30 April 2023. 

Healthcare Workers Permit (HWP)

We asked you about the cost, the duration of stay period, the terms and conditions of use and the format of the permit.

Carers Parking Permits

We asked if both paid and unpaid carers could benefit from the introduction of parking permits to help them park when undertaking their caring responsibilities.

There were 554 responses to our consultation.

As well as the online survey, Stakeholders from GP surgeries, community and healthcare organisations were also invited virtual meetings with our independent project team to find out more about the proposals, share their feedback and to ask further questions. Six meetings took place between 22 and 28 March 2023.

Healthcare Workers Permit (HWP)

You said that the price was about right, whilst responses regarding the duration of stay were equally split between those who said the time period was too short and other saying it was just right. You also asked that the terms and conditions of the permit were made clearer and 100% of respondents preferred a paper version of the permit.

Carers Parking Permits

The consultation results demonstrated that both paid (97%) and unpaid (90%) carers supported the introduction of a Carers’ Permit.

Healthcare Workers Permit (HWP)

The price of a permit will increase slightly to £25, to cover administration, such as printing and posting of permits. However, a number of additional benefits will be provided.  These include increasing the maximum stay period while parking with the permit, allowing permit holders to also use pay and display and shared use parking places in the Central Zones and allow parking in permit holders places in Priority Parking Areas. The permit will remain in a paper format.

Carers Parking Permits

We will begin the legal process to introduce two new permit types:

• Professional Carers Permit – for paid carers, visiting multiple patients in a day.  This includes agency workers, self-employed carers and those employed by the Council.
• Personal Carers Permit – for unpaid carers looking after family or friends.  This applies even if the carer is in receipt of carers benefits.

Further information on the permit types and the next steps is available in the Healthcare Workers and Carer Parking Permits report which was approved at the Transport and Environment Committee on 25 April 2024.