Fresh Labour U-turn as plans to cut private parking firm fines from £100 to £50 axed in blow to motorists
The AA accused ministers of 'bending the knee to private parking firms' after they diluted proposals aimed at reforming the sector to safeguard drivers.
Advertisement
What was initially a plan to
In a further blow to motorists, ministers propose allowing firms to charge up to £70 merely for sending reminder letters demanding payment.
The AA also condemned suggestions that drivers could face £20 fines for breaching parking rules, even in life-or-death situations.
The reforms were unveiled for public consultation on Friday, addressing not only price caps but also proposals to
Advertisement
It comes as the number of parking charges issued has soared to record levels.
Firms made 12.8 million vehicle keeper requests last year, marking an astonishing 673 per cent rise since 2012.
Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: 'This long-awaited consultation will not please drivers and suggests that government is bending the knee to the private parking industry.
'We urge all drivers to complete the consultation and submit their views and experiences when dealing with private parking firms.
Advertisement
Most read in Motors
'If government can understand the depth of contempt drivers hold against some of these shark-like businesses, maybe it will do more to help innocent drivers."
Local Growth Minister Alex Norris insisted: 'From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life.
Drivers warned to beware of common parking scam
'But too many people are being unfairly penalised.'
'That's why our Code will tackle misleading tactics and confusing processes, bringing vital oversight and transparency to raise standards across the board.'
Advertisement
1
A plan to cap parking fines at £50 has now been scrapped, retaining the current £100 penalty instead
Credit: Getty
Everything you need to know about parking
Can I get
Do I have to pay a
Can I be fined if your
Is
How do I
Can you
How can I
Can I reserve the
How close
Is
Can I park on a single yellow line?
Can I be fined for
Can I use
Who is allowed to
Where can I
Can I be fined if the
How close can I
Am I allowed to
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Eight used cars available to buy for under £3k including ‘lively' Honda and ‘classic' Nissan
HUGE bargains can be claimed by snapping up one of these eight used cars that are available to buy for under £3k right now. They are decent cars too, from a "classic" Nissan to "lively" Honda. 7 This is a white Honda Civic Type R FN2 from 2009 Credit: Supplied 7 The Citroën C6 is an executive car produced by the French car maker from 2005 to 2012 Credit: Getty The Honda Civic Type R (FN2) - £2,400 The There is a red Honda Civic FN2-gen from 2007, going for £2.4K. This car combines a "lively" 197bhp nat-asp four-pot with a six-speed manual. Read More Motors News It is known for its angular styling, as a three-door hatchback, and has a naturally aspirated The motor can provide an engaging driving experience as it packs one of the all-time great four-cylinder engines. Citroen C6 - £2000 to £3000 This is a spacious and comfortable car that has been found from 2007 going for as low as £2K. Most read in Motors "Bonkers, too." It's interior is primarily leather, with some wood trim. For Your Eyes Only, Official Trailer There are three available in either silver, navy blue or black from The car's power is provided by a 208bhp turbo-diesel six-cylinder. Audi S4 Cariolet (B7) - £2,499 Apart from being a sleek looking convertible motor, the Audi S4 also has a great teach suite. It includes front and rear parking sensors, as well as cruise control. The car's outputs are 339bhp, 302lb ft, 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds, and a top speed of 155mph. One being sold on Auto Trader is a clean black model, with red leather seats from 2006. Abarth 500 - £2,495 to £2,995 There are a number of used The lowest is a red Abarth 500 going for £2,495. They have been considered a "punchy" and "sporty" vehicle that can be bought for below budget. They also contain 17in petal-spoke alloys. BMW 3 Series (E46) - £2,400 There is a blue BMW 325Ci from 2002 going for a good price at £2.4K. It has black leather seats and polished wood along the dashboard. Beneath the bonnet, the motor carries just under 200bhp, hooked up to a manual box. It was a bestselling BMW, coming in the German automaker's range of compact executive cars. 7 The Audi S4 may be this week's 'best all-arounder' Credit: YouTube / eurocarnews 7 The Abarth is a fast and sporty version of the Fiat 500 Credit: Alamy 7 The E46 BMW 3 Series can even be used as a road car with its focus on aerodynamics Credit: Getty Nissan 300ZX (Z31) - £3000 This is a classic motor, with a removable targa roof and stainless steel exhaust. There is a rare one for sale on eBay at a bargain price, that has a gloss purple finish and has been kept in a container for most of its life. The 1984 vehicle looks in great condition, with just a 70,000-mile life so far. With bidding, it is likely to exceed the £3K mark as an excellent steal. Volvo C30 - £2,499 This is a squat, wedged It is coming with a roof rack top, with a tow bar and two-door R-Design. The current owner has described that car as an "ideal daily runabout", that "looks and drives great". Fiat Cinquecento - £2,150 This listing is an homage to the little Fiat from The Inbetweeners. It is a It also has a sunroof and an excellent blue-cream cabin. The seller states the car was "a non runner, but it's had an eco replacement, full service and no all running fine". With just a little age related wear and tear, and the breaks needing a bit of work, it could be hard to find a cleaner one. 7 This Nissan 300ZX is from 1990 and has been displayed by National Motor Museum Credit: Getty 7 The Volvo C30 T5 R-Design has the lowest trim with the addition of the body kit and bigger wheels Credit: Alamy
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Inside Amazon's new AI megacity building machine as powerful as human brain – and why it's bad news for Britain
IT was once sprawling fields, but now a 1,200-acre stretch of fertile farmland is home to a single gigantic AI data centre. The former cornfields outside New Carlisle, Indiana, have been transformed by Amazon's latest megabucks tech investment. 4 A 1,200-acre stretch of fertile farmland is now home to a single gigantic AI data centre, owned by Amazon Credit: Getty 4 The move is a bid from Jeff Bezos's company to become a heavyweight in the AI sphere Credit: Splash Inside seven massive buildings are hundreds of thousands of specialised computer chips and miles of fibre optic cable, connecting every chip and computer to create a giant machine ready for artificial intelligence. And by the time the site is finished, it will be home to 30 gigantic warehouses, all for AI start-up Anthropic. With Amazon investment, it hopes to build an AI machine that matches the power of the human brain. And the company claims it will be 'the world's largest AI compute cluster'. READ MORE ON AI The beast, spanning the entire plot, will use 2.2gigawatts of electricity and millions of gallons of water to keep the chips from overheating. To put that into perspective, it is estimated that a single request to ChatGPT requires the equivalent of a small bottle of water to keep the chips cool. And this is just the beginning of the AI industrial revolution, which is leaving the UK scratching around in the USA's and China's dust. AI is the next industrial revolution and likely to be bigger than the last one. But the UK is playing catch-up AI expert Tom Edwards The global data centre market is set to be worth $517billion by 2030, according to Barclays Research. Most read in Tech But are we in danger of missing the boat? AI expert Tom Edwards told The Sun: 'AI is the next industrial revolution and is likely to be bigger than the last one. AI deciphers hymn on 4,000-year-old clay tablet to unlock mystery of ancient city of Babylon 'The biggest problem the UK has in getting involved is the energy infrastructure. 'We're playing catch- up to the US because we're switching off North Sea oil and gas. 'We should be building more data centres, but we'd have to build the energy infrastructure to support them, which is a huge challenge in itself. 'These centres require so much energy because they are running thousands of computations in parallel to create AI and that needs a huge amount of energy. 'It's much more energy-intensive than using a traditional computer. 'The UK has some of the best minds coming out of Oxford and Cambridge when it comes to computing, but we're woefully behind China and the US as it stands. 'Without these data centres, we're just going to keep falling behind. 'Just to get up to speed with China and the US, we would need to do a huge amount of work, and we aren't doing that fast enough.' As it stands, the UK government is keen to support AI development, and has plans for a 176-hectare site in Scunthorpe, Lincs, and one in Watford that would be the size of 17 football pitches. But neither have yet been given a green light, and would require billions of pounds in investment to build. Number Ten has vowed to use AI to turbo-charge its Plan For Change. Technology Secretary He told The Sun: 'Data centres are the lifeblood of the AI revolution and we're determined that the UK will seize this incredible opportunity. 'This government is boosting our AI capability, bringing investment to former industrial heartlands for this new Industrial Revolution. 'With more than £6billion of private investment into data centres committed in the last year, we are cementing Britain's place as a global AI leader.' Back in America, Amazon's Project Rainer — the site in Indiana — is so large it can only be fully viewed from above. 'I can't live in my home' And the building work does not stop here. There are plans for facilities in Mississippi and potentially North Carolina and Pennsylvania. It's a bid from 4 Inside seven massive buildings are hundreds of thousands of specialised computer chips and miles of fibre optic cable Credit: Supplied Not to be left out, OpenAI is building a 1.2-gigawatt facility in Texas and another, nearly as large, in the These new sites are miles bigger than the data centres built before the AI boom in 2022 sparked by ChatGPT. And the huge change does not only create work for computer geniuses. AI guru Tom added: 'These sites bring loads of construction jobs.' For the Indiana site, Amazon has four different construction crews working simultaneously. The New York Times was told by Bill Schalliol, a community economic development official, that there are 4,000 workers on the plant each day. 'I don't know if they're competing for cash or steak dinner, but it's crazy how much they're getting up,' he said. 'Steel starts to go up here, the next day it's going up over there.' Nearby hotels have been filled with the workers, and there has been such a rise in traffic accidents and congestion that Amazon agreed to pay £90,000 to cover overtime for traffic enforcement. They also threw in an additional £5.5million for local road improvements. But the investment and jobs are not sitting well with all the locals. In order to bury the fibre optic cables to connect the warehouses, and install other buried infrastructure, Amazon had to pump water out of the wet ground nearby. Wildlife depends on those wetlands Dan Caruso, a retired mail carrier from New Carlisle According to one permit, the company pumped 2.2million gallons of water per hour for 730 days. The process, known as dewatering, is now being investigated as locals report wells drying up. 'You can see the mountain of dirt they are ready to shove on those wetlands,' Dan Caruso, a retired mail carrier from New Carlisle, told The New York Times. 'Wildlife depends on those wetlands.' It's not the first time a data centre has been investigated for causing environmental damage. One built in the US state of Georgia for Meta has faced allegations it is making the area uninhabitable due to contaminated water. Beverly Morris told The BBC: 'I can't live in my home with half of my home functioning and no water.' Meta denied being to blame for Beverly's private well drying up, saying the water issues were not connected to their data centre. Objections to the huge projects by locals have cost £47billion in projects delayed or blocked nationwide, according to Data Center Watch. But with AI use booming, there are sure to be more plants built worldwide. And it's one revolution we will need to be part of — or risk being left behind. 4 AI expert Tom Edwards told The Sun: 'AI is the next industrial revolution and is likely to be bigger than the last one' Credit: YouTube
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Expert reveals how ignoring key issue flagged in MOT could cost drivers thousands & what to do about it
DRIVERS are being warned not to ignore a key warning during MOT to avoid paying thousands later. An expert has also warned they may face 3 Ignoring brake warnings can lead to serious financial and legal issues Credit: Getty 3 Advisories can develop into far more dangerous problems Credit: Getty A motoring expert has warned that ignoring a braking advisory during an MOT could have dire financial consequences. Head of Digital Content at Auto Express, Steve Walker, warned: "Ignoring "If left unchecked - as 15 per cent of drivers admit they do - these minor issues can quickly escalate into major, costly repairs. "Worse still, if a fault causes an accident and it's found you ignored a brake advisory, you could face significant financial liabilities - and potentially legal consequences." Read more Motors Problems with breaks are hardly uncommon, as they make up 16 per cent of all advisories during MOTs. Worse still, 30 per cent of brake advisories are categorised as " Advisories in MOTs are early warnings of car faults. If left unchecked, they can develop into serious problems which will Most read in Motors " It's vital to address brake advisories promptly to keep yourself and others safe on the road," Walker added. Moment lorry with no brakes smashes tiny family hatchback off bridge Beyond just financial and legal problems, braking problems can leave you in the extremely dangerous situation of driving while at serious If you find yourself driving without the use of your brakes, the first action to take is to put on your hazard lights to alert other drivers that you have a problem. Then, Walker has explained that there are some actions you can take to help your car He said: "You've got more options than you think – from engine braking to the handbrake – but the most important thing is not to panic and never make any "If you're calm, deliberate and aware of your surroundings, you'll give yourself the best chance of getting "Try repeatedly pumping the "This can help build pressure back up and may restore some braking function." This comes after the To avoid this, testers at The pictures should show the front or rear of a vehicle and the number plate must be clearly visible. Testers would then be required to submit the pictures to the official MOT website. In addition to this, At the moment, vehicles above the age of 40 are not legally required to undergo the annual safety check. This is provided that the motors have not been substantially modified from when they were new. But more than two in five who responded to a Department for Transport (DfT) public consultation agreed that safety checks should be introduced for cars more than 40 years old. The consultation, which had just over 1,000 respondents, asked whether MOTs or similar checks should be made mandatory for classic and historic cars. Although no decision has been made, it is a sign the older vehicles could in future be subject to the checks. Full MOT checklist THIS is the one-stop checklist that will make sure you are prepared to pass your next MOT. Tyres and wheels - Look out for damage to the sidewall of your tyres and make sure they're sufficiently inflated. Use the 20p coin test to make sure your tyres have the right tread depth, which should be 1.6mm all the way around across the central three-quarters of the tread pattern. The outer edge of a 20p coin will be completely obscured if the tread is deep enough. Also, be careful space-saver spare tyres could catch you out in the test, so Lights - Check all of the car's lights are working properly and are the right colour to pass an MOT test. Have someone walk around the car and make sure they don't flicker when tapped which could mean they need tightening or replacing. This includes headlamps, parking lights, reversing lights, Wipers and windscreen - Check your headlight washers if you have any. Number plates - Registration plates legally have to be in good condition, tightly fastened to the car and easily read from 20 metres away, so checking these is a must if you want to pass your MOT test. Doors - Fix any broken doors or ones that don't stay properly closed. General condition - Make sure the exterior of your car is up to scratch. Any sharp edges or pieces of metal sticking out could cause a danger to other road users and will definitely fail the MOT test. Inside a car - Your dashboard will pop up with Make sure you have a fully functioning speedometer or you will fail the MOT test 3 The DVSA is trying to crack down on 'ghost MOTs' Credit: Getty
