Free parking permits for peripatetic community NHS and care staff are set to continue in Nottinghamshire as the County Council extends its virtual parking permit scheme.
The permits, which were introduced during the first national lockdown, will give approved healthcare workers access to free parking while on duty, helping them to provide essential services to communities across the county.
Over the last year, more than 3,800 virtual permits were issued, giving key workers permission to park in residents permit areas and on single yellow lines while carrying out home visits, without the fear of parking fines and a need to display a paper pass in their vehicle.
Although the national key workers permit scheme will be withdrawn as part of the lockdown roadmap, the further rollout of the scheme in Nottinghamshire will see community healthcare workers register their vehicle details online, which will then alert the Civil Enforcement Officers on their linked handheld devices.
Councillor Neil Clarke MBE, Chairman of the Transport and Environment Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Our key worker parking permit scheme has been extremely successful during the Covid-19 pandemic and has allowed those who deliver community care and medical assistance to do their vital work without worrying about parking enforcement charges.
“We want to build on this success. We know that despite the lockdown easing and promising vaccination numbers, health care workers will continue to support vulnerable people across Nottinghamshire, and we believe that we should continue to support them in carrying out this work.
“We will work closely with healthcare providers across Nottinghamshire as well as local district and borough councils in the coming months to refine the details of the scheme and to ensure that it best supports those who offer support in their communities.
“We are proud to support our local heroes who have done so much over the past year to keep our communities safe.”