ROYAL Bolton Hospital chiefs have decided to delay a decision to introduce car parking charges for staff.

The decision to defer the charges until next April was made at last night's hospital board meeting.

New chief executive David Fillingham said it would not fair to charge staff when the facilities were not up to scratch.

Staff would pay a monthly charge but still might not be able to find anywhere to park in the busy car park. It is a U-turn on a decision taken at a board meeting in July.

Hospital chiefs then decided that staff earning less than £20,000 should pay £5 a month, staff earning between £20,000 and £40,000 would face a £10 a month charge and those earning more than £40,000 would pay £15 a month.

But Mr Fillingham said last night: "I have been concerned about the car parking since my arrival and the Trust has been concerned for a number of years.

"Staff are happy to pay for parking, but not happy to pay for the privilege of not being able to park."