TWO south Essex Conservative MPs have disagreed over a bill to end “rip-off” car parking charges at hospitals.

Rochford and Southend East MP James Duddridge spoke in Parliament to oppose a bill put forward by Tory MP Robert Halfon.

Mr Halfon, MP for Harlow, urged the Government to force trusts to scrap parking fees which are “the bane” of sick and vulnerable patients using hospitals.

Mr Halfon, proposing his Hospital Car Parking Charges (Abolition) Bill, said some hospitals were charging up to £500 a week to use their parking. But he faced opposition from the outset from former minister Mr Duddridge who said it would create a “funding gap”.

Mr Duddridge said: “I am concerned about the funding stream.

“It is certainly more than £162million mentioned elsewhere that would be a funding gap that would need to provided. If we have £162million or £200million extra we would be better spending that on hospital care, rather than parking.”

But Mr Duddridge’s comments did not receive support from fellow south Essex MP Stephen Metcalf.

The South Basildon and East Thurrock MP said: “I have sympathy with James’ views but I am on record as being very concerned about the level of car parking charges and the affect on the most vulnerable.”

However Southend West MP Sir David Amess agreed that alternative funding would be tricky to find.

He said: “We all know that money has to come from somewhere for public services.

"The issue with car parking charges at our local hospital could perhaps be revisited in terms of repeat appointments, the elderly or ‘unscheduled’ visits. If hospital car parking charges were abolished the money would have to come from another source.”