Latest news with #PrivateParkingCodeofPractice
Leader Live
04-08-2025
- Automotive
- Leader Live
Andrew Ranger MP backs plans to crackdown on unjust parking fines
The Labour government has launched a consultation to protect drivers with plans to raise standards across the private parking industry unveiled through a new strengthened Private Parking Code of Practice. Over 35 million people across the UK rely on their cars for everyday life – from commuting to caring responsibilities – but the fear of being hit with unfair parking charges has eroded trust between drivers and some operators. To better support drivers in vulnerable or stressful situations, such as attending hospital appointments, a new rule is being considered that would uphold appeals where drivers had no reasonable choice but to breach parking terms. Proposals will ensure fair treatment for drivers and introduce 'common-sense' standards across the industry, including clear signage and mandatory grace periods. These measures will help prevent charges caused by issues like payment machine errors, accidental typos, or poor mobile signal. Previous Governments have tried to legislate but never succeeded. The Parking Act 2019 was introduced as a Private Member's Bill in 2017, and the previous government's Private Parking Code of Practice was laid in 2022 but withdrawn later that year following a legal challenge from the parking industry. Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger said: 'Too many of my constituents in Wrexham have been ripped off by rogue parking operators who make it difficult for motorists to comply with the terms and conditions and leave them open to parking charges and escalating costs. "Labour is acting to change that. Protecting motorists and holding operators to account." Read more At present, operators can avoid sanctions for poor practice, leaving motorists vulnerable to unfair or incorrect charges. The new compliance framework will aim to ensure accountability. Under proposals, operators who breach the code may lose access to DVLA data required to issue parking charges. The code will strike a balance - protecting motorists while enabling compliant operators to run efficient, value-for-money car parks. It marks another step the government is taking to repair Britain's transport and save people time and money, following the allocation of £1.6 billion funding this year to help local authorities resurface roads and fix the equivalent of up to seven million extra potholes, with an additional £24 billion set aside to build new roads and keep drivers moving over the next five years. The eight-week consultation also seeks views on: • Appropriate caps for parking charges and debt recovery fees • Improvements to second-stage appeals • Requirements for operators to share data with government to inform future updates to the Code The consultation is open until September 5 and is available on the Welsh Government website.
Scotsman
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- Scotsman
Readers' letters: Private firms issuing parking fines must be reined in
A reader calls for a crackdown private firms issuing hefty fines for minor parking infringements Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... The campaigner Lynda Eagan described the widespread experience of wrong and expensive parking fines as a 'filthy business' (Scotsman, April 22). My recent experience wholly reinforces this. Having received no prior notification of any infringement until a debt collector's letter arrived, I was effectively given four-days' notice to stump up £170 before court proceedings would be enacted: strong-arm tactics, using a legally flawed process, and totally disproportional for a minor parking infringement! According to Lynda I am only one of thousands across the country. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This is now backed by RAC research. Excluding 2020/21 for Covid, estimates just published highlight the exponential growth in parking tickets issued by private firms that has occurred over the last ten years: 12.77 million tickets were issued in 2023/24, up from 3.08 million in 2014/15. If this trend continues, 14.5 million tickets will be issued this year at a rate of 41,000 per day (Scotsman, 25 April). Spectacular growth that Rachel Reeves would die for! Who knew this was one of the UK's major growth industries! Private firms issued 12.77 million parking tickets in 2023/24 (Picture: The key traits of this industry are: 1) It remains unregulated. The 'Private Parking Code of Practice' introduced by the previous Government was withdrawn following legal challenge by the industry in 2022. 2) The sector is large and ubiquitous, with private firms owning more than 50,000 sites across the country and 3) The sector is increasingly concentrated, with five firms accounting for more than 50 per cent of tickets issued. The Government needs to grasp this prickly nettle quickly and re-introduce a legally binding code of 'best practice'. And, while the measure of market concentration may just fall shy of automatic referral to the Competition and Markets Authority, a pre-emptive investigation into this industry and how it's run would I'm sure be welcomed by the eight out of ten drivers who have reported frustration at the current state of affairs. Ewen Peters, Newton Mearns, East Renfrewshire Human dignity As a member of the LGBT community and a Labour voter, I feel compelled to express my deep disappointment with Prime Minister Keir Starmer's recent comments on transgender rights. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad I voted for my Labour MP because I could not support the views of the SNP's Deputy First Minister, Kate Forbes. Yet, within months of taking office, Labour has begun to mirror the very same exclusionary rhetoric I voted against. Starmer's retreat into defining womanhood strictly by biological sex is not just a betrayal of LGBT people—it is a betrayal of the values Labour claimed to uphold. This is part of a wider pattern. The government's abandonment of key manifesto commitments – from abandoning the WASPI women and scrapping green investment to abandoning pledges to scrap tuition fees and end the two-child benefit cap – suggests a leadership that lacks both principle and conviction. The party I supported promised compassion and progress. What we now see is political expediency at the expense of vulnerable communities. Trans people deserve respect, recognition, and protection. Their rights should not be a political calculation. I urge Labour MPs – including mine – to publicly reaffirm their commitment to equality, and to challenge the party's alarming drift into opportunism and moral ambiguity. If Labour cannot stand firm on basic human dignity, then it risks losing the trust of those who believed it could do better. Adrian Fletcher, Glasgow Snake-oil salesman Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Surprisingly, A Lewis (Letters, 25 April) omitted Reform UK's most significant 'promise': 'pie in the sky'. It's astounding that many who were duped by wizard snake-oil salesman Nigel Farage into believing Brexit would solve all of the UK's problems now believe that Reform UK will perform this same magic act. Even a simple glance behind the mask of deception would reveal that this sorcerer is not 'anti-establishment', as he presents himself, but is bought and paid for by the economic elite acting on behalf of the British Establishment. Stan Grodynski, Longniddry, East Lothian Education crisis Scottish education, once the envy of the world, now appears to be in crisis. The loss of 350 jobs at Edinburgh University and the ongoing struggle to recruit new teachers simply accentuate a problem, to which there doesn't appear to be any immediate solution. We should cherish our teachers, underpaid, undervalued and understaffed, who do a remarkable job in often impossible circumstances. Having to cope with a variety of special needs, including autism, without the provision of promised specialised classroom assistants, their skills are stretched to the limits, and beyond. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Funds, admittedly needed, for defence are readily found, but what about education, arguably the most valuable priority, the whole future of our young people? With both schools and universities struggling financially, perhaps it's time to reflect upon the vital contribution they make. Our children deserve nothing less. Ian Petrie, Edinburgh Astonishing sums I was astonished to read that Edinburgh University employs over 15,000 staff. This of course includes the Principal on a salary of more than £400,000 and several hundred lecturers earning over £100,000. Given the university has approximately 50,000 students it does not take a degree level of intelligence to work out the ratio of staff to students. If only our nurses and doctors could be afforded the same ratio! Brian Petrie, Edinburgh See the light The UK economy is in tatters. Brexit as predicted by the Scottish Government, has been an unmitigated disaster and is costing us billions of pounds each year. Our Labour government is supplying weapons to a country accused of genocide, keeping children in poverty via the two-child cap, imposing huge cuts on disabled people's benefits, denying pensioners the Winter Fuel Allowance and reneging on promises made to WASPI women when in opposition. The growth Rachel Reeves promised has not materialised and the only people laughing all the way to the bank are the ultra-wealthy. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Evidently, none of this is of any concern to your correspondent David Millar (Letters, 24 April) who can only throw some cheap jibes at the SNP while the good ship HMS United Kingdom sinks slowly but surely beneath the waves. Scotland can do so much better than this shambles. Perhaps Mr Millar's new glasses will help him see the light! Alan Woodcock, Dundee Straws clutched A recent rogue opinion poll seems to have set the bravehearts of Scottish nationalist activists aflutter. After virtually years of little or no change, the poll, ran by a pro-SNP newspaper, showed a sudden swing to the nationalist cause. Then they got another straw to clutch. In Northern Ireland there was talk of a possible constitutional referendum if opinion polls showed a constant and sustained lead there. And so, the latest call, barely heard above the myriad problems facing Scotland, for another referendum. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Presumably we have to forget that we had a 'once in a lifetime' referendum here in 2014, which the nationalists lost by a distance. They did not have one in Northern Ireland. Here, however, the nationalists were hammered. They had every single possible advantage: the date, the crucial wording; the age and make-up and place of residence of the voters, and more, conditions they could never ever get again. But it made no difference. They lost, badly. If you are using a rogue poll conducted by a pro-separation newspaper as an argument, your cause I am afraid is already long lost. Alexander McKay, Edinburgh Climate games Transport Secretary Fiona Hyslop has admitted that the Scottish Government needs to drop its 'unrealistic, unachievable and unnecesary' target to reduce car use by 20 per cent by 2030 (Scotsman, 24 April). Scotland has 3.1 million cars but there are 1.475 billion cars in the world so Scotland is just playing climate games with its miniscule 0.1 per cent of global emissions. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad China says it is aiming for net zero in 2060 whilst India has said 2070 and the US under Donald Trump will be increasing its emissions, not reducing them. Does any sane person believe that the oil, gas and coal-rich countries will curb the exploitation of their resources which have driven their economies and raised the standards of living for their populations? Clark Cross, Linlithgow, West Lothian Trump's rebuke 'Vladimir, STOP!' Trump tweeted to Putin, issuing rare rebuke after Russia launched a savage attack on Ukraine. Naughty, naughty Vlad... and after Donald promised you Crimea and a whole chunk of Ukraine and told Ukraine to shut up and lump it. How selfish can you get? acting with impunity like this while the White House fawns over you. Trevor Rigg, Edinburgh Mammy's boy Donald Trump rebukes Putin for continuing to attack Ukraine with all the sincerity of some feckless Glaswegian mammy droning to her psychotic offspring to cease laying waste to some high street shop 'or the man will come over and shout at you'. Mark Boyle, Johnstone, Renfrewshire Write to The Scotsman Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad
Epoch Times
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- Epoch Times
Private Parking Firms on Course to Issue Record 14.5 Million Tickets in 2025
Private parking companies are set to hand out nearly 14.5 million tickets to drivers this year, sparking renewed concern over the lack of regulation in the industry. An analysis by RAC of the latest government data reveals that car park management firms made 7.2 million requests for vehicle keeper details from the DVLA in the first half of the 2024/25 financial year. This is equivalent to 41,000 requests a day and marks a 12 percent increase compared to the same period last year. If current trends continue, drivers could receive a record number of £100 parking charge notices by April 2025, amounting to £1.4 billion in fines. The projected figure is more than double the number of tickets issued six years ago, despite legislation passed in 2019 intended to curb unfair practices by private parking operators. However, the government's Private Parking Code of Practice, designed to regulate the sector, was withdrawn in 2022 following legal challenges from parking and debt recovery firms. Related Stories 2/12/2025 12/27/2024 In the absence of statutory oversight, critics warn that motorists remain vulnerable to 5 Firms Behind Nearly Half of All Requests DVLA data showed that just five companies account for 45 percent of all requests for driver details. ParkingEye alone was responsible for 1.1 million requests, followed by Euro Car Parks (891,600), Horizon Parking, Smart Parking, and APCOA Parking. Each request costs £2.50, generating millions in fees paid to access motorists' information. RAC head of policy Simon Williams described the figures as 'very concerning.' 'As drivers don't generally set out to break the rules, we fear more may be being treated unfairly by private parking companies that are still operating without government scrutiny,' he said. Williams urged ministers to accelerate the introduction of a new regulatory code, warning that 'the number of parking charge notices issued has more than doubled since the law was passed to introduce the code in 2019.' High-Profile Cases Raise Alarm Recent incidents have highlighted ongoing issues within the sector. In Leicestershire, more than 130 motorists joined a Facebook group after receiving £100 charges from Euro Car Parks owing to an alleged fault with a payment machine at Syston Town Square. Meanwhile, a Derby driver faced court action over £1,906 in fines after exceeding a five-minute payment window on multiple occasions. The case was dropped only after media coverage and intervention by an MP. Both cases surfaced shortly after the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) published a revised self-regulated The RAC and AA '5-Minute Rule' Change Earlier this year, private parking firms scrapped penalties for drivers taking longer than five minutes to pay at camera-monitored car parks. The BPA and IPC hailed the move as a sign of progress. IPC Chief Executive Will Hurley welcomed the change and urged drivers to read signage carefully when parking. 'Our sector is making significant strides in elevating standards. The single Code, along with the creation of the panel and its swift action reflects the sector's positive progress and commitment to fairness,' Hurley said. However, motoring groups dismissed the measure as cosmetic. 'We believe any driver who has paid for parking shouldn't ever be given a parking charge notice for taking too long to pay. 'Parents with kids, disabled people, and those struggling to get a mobile signal are unlikely to win a race against the clock,' Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, Government Pledges Action In February, minister for local growth Alex Norris MP reaffirmed the government's commitment to introducing a single Code of Practice for private parking firms. But with no clear timeline, motoring groups fear drivers will continue to face unfair treatment. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government An RAC survey conducted in August 2024 found that eight in 10 drivers were frustrated by the absence of proper regulation. To support affected motorists, the RAC has published a step-by-step guide on appealing private parking charges. 'If anyone feels they've been wrongly told to pay £100, they should challenge it,' said Williams.
Yahoo
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Parking firms accused of ‘trapping' drivers with faulty machines
Parking firms have been accused of 'trapping' drivers with faulty ticket machines. Campaigners say thousands of people could have been affected, with drivers claiming it is sometimes easier just 'to pay for fines to go away' even where 'it's not right'. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has previously described faulty machines as 'a problem that needs to be tackled', while the RAC has called for a government-backed code of conduct to be reintroduced. Matt Chambers, a 35-year-old business owner, received a £100 penalty charge notice (PCN) from a major parking firm in February after using a car park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He said: 'They say I only registered the letter B for my number plate. 'That's not right. I'm adamant I put the whole number plate in because I've used that car park several times before, and it's the exact same process every time. I know how to use the machine.' Mr Chambers said he was still challenging the PCN but 'sometimes it feels easier to pay just to make them go away' even though 'I've done nothing wrong'. Mary Hawken, 79, was sent a PCN after using a car park in Praa Sands, Cornwall, in July last year. She said: 'I noticed that the [week] didn't print [on my ticket] but I thought, I've got a receipt anyway, and the rest of the registration is on it, so that's fine. 'A week later I had a PCN. I thought, I'm not paying it, you can take me to court. I religiously pay for car parks. I'm not going to be bullied into this.' The fine reached £170 until the case was dropped four days after she contacted Andrew George, her MP, who intervened on her behalf. Lynda Eagan, a campaigner who helps run the 47,000-strong Facebook group Private Parking Tickets – Help and Advice, has been researching the issue for a decade after receiving a PCN she felt was 'undeserved'. Asked how many people in the UK she believes have been sent tickets because of faulty machines, she replied: 'Literally thousands.' Ms Eagan said: 'We've got unfair PCNs issued to people simply because the machine didn't work properly.' She added that most machine faults involve 'sticky keys' – when the buttons pressed are not correctly recorded on the machine – or devices which 'encourage you to pay' before the full registration has been entered. Some of the latter machines are 'set up to trap people', she claimed, as they accept payment even if only the first letter of a registration is entered. Simon Williams, the head of policy for the RAC, said: 'Sadly, it's abundantly clear from the multitude of examples that some parking companies are wrongly demanding 'fines' from drivers who have legitimately paid to park. 'Whether it's a faulty payment machine that records the wrong vehicle registration or an innocent mistake keying in their number plate, these people shouldn't have to pay the £100 parking charge notices they are sent. 'We desperately need the Government to introduce the Private Parking Code of Practice to bring much-needed scrutiny to the sector.' The Conservative government had introduced a legally binding code of practice on parking companies in June 2022, but withdrew it after a legal challenge by some parking firms. The code of conduct included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system and banning aggressive language on PCNs. Since being made the Transport Secretary, Ms Alexander has called for private parking companies to make a 'dramatic improvement' in the way they deal with the public. She urged them to do 'simple things' such as having 'machines and equipment that work', and being contactable rather than providing 'addresses that no one answers letters from'. Ms Alexander said: 'Government is working on a code of practice because we recognise that we need to drive up standards in the private parking industry. People's experience is not good enough at the moment.' Analysis of government data by PA and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation last November found an average of more than 41,000 PCNs were being sent to drivers every day. A spokesman for trade body the British Parking Association declined to respond to the claims of faulty machines, but said someone who receives a parking charge they believe was issued in error should first contact the parking operator and provide 'all the information that would be relevant for an appeal'. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
22-04-2025
- Automotive
- Telegraph
Parking firms accused of ‘trapping' drivers with faulty machines
Parking firms have been accused of 'trapping' drivers with faulty ticket machines. Campaigners say thousands of people could have been affected, with drivers claiming it is sometimes easier just 'to pay for fines to go away' even where 'it's not right'. Heidi Alexander, the Transport Secretary, has previously described faulty machines as 'a problem that needs to be tackled', while the RAC has called for a government-backed code of conduct to be reintroduced. Matt Chambers, a 35-year-old business owner, received a £100 penalty charge notice (PCN) from a major parking firm in February after using a car park in Worksop, Nottinghamshire. He said: 'They say I only registered the letter B for my number plate. 'That's not right. I'm adamant I put the whole number plate in because I've used that car park several times before, and it's the exact same process every time. I know how to use the machine.' Mr Chambers said he was still challenging the PCN but 'sometimes it feels easier to pay just to make them go away' even though 'I've done nothing wrong'. Mary Hawken, 79, was sent a PCN after using a car park in Praa Sands, Cornwall, in July last year. She said: 'I noticed that the [week] didn't print [on my ticket] but I thought, I've got a receipt anyway, and the rest of the registration is on it, so that's fine. 'A week later I had a PCN. I thought, I'm not paying it, you can take me to court. I religiously pay for car parks. I'm not going to be bullied into this.' The fine reached £170 until the case was dropped four days after she contacted Andrew George, her MP, who intervened on her behalf. Lynda Eagan, a campaigner who helps run the 47,000-strong Facebook group Private Parking Tickets – Help and Advice, has been researching the issue for a decade after receiving a PCN she felt was 'undeserved'. Asked how many people in the UK she believes have been sent tickets because of faulty machines, she replied: 'Literally thousands.' Ms Eagan said: 'We've got unfair PCNs issued to people simply because the machine didn't work properly.' She added that most machine faults involve 'sticky keys' – when the buttons pressed are not correctly recorded on the machine – or devices which 'encourage you to pay' before the full registration has been entered. Some of the latter machines are 'set up to trap people', she claimed, as they accept payment even if only the first letter of a registration is entered. Simon Williams, the head of policy for the RAC, said: 'Sadly, it's abundantly clear from the multitude of examples that some parking companies are wrongly demanding 'fines' from drivers who have legitimately paid to park. 'Whether it's a faulty payment machine that records the wrong vehicle registration or an innocent mistake keying in their number plate, these people shouldn't have to pay the £100 parking charge notices they are sent. 'We desperately need the Government to introduce the Private Parking Code of Practice to bring much-needed scrutiny to the sector.' The Conservative government had introduced a legally binding code of practice on parking companies in June 2022, but withdrew it after a legal challenge by some parking firms. The code of conduct included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system and banning aggressive language on PCNs. Since being made the Transport Secretary, Ms Alexander has called for private parking companies to make a 'dramatic improvement' in the way they deal with the public. She urged them to do 'simple things' such as having 'machines and equipment that work', and being contactable rather than providing 'addresses that no one answers letters from'. Ms Alexander said: 'Government is working on a code of practice because we recognise that we need to drive up standards in the private parking industry. People's experience is not good enough at the moment.' Analysis of government data by PA and motoring research charity the RAC Foundation last November found an average of more than 41,000 PCNs were being sent to drivers every day. A spokesman for trade body the British Parking Association declined to respond to the claims of faulty machines, but said someone who receives a parking charge they believe was issued in error should first contact the parking operator and provide 'all the information that would be relevant for an appeal'.
