Latest news with #privateparking
BBC News
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
New government code of practice aims to stop unfair parking charges
The government has launched a consultation on a new code to stop people being "unfairly penalised" by private car park follows concerns raised by drivers including Rosey Hudson, who was asked to pay £1,906 for taking more than five minutes to pay in a car park in government said the new Private Parking Code of Practice "aims to create a fairer, more transparent private parking system".The British Parking Association, one of two trade associations that oversees the industry, has said it will work closely with the government throughout the consultation. Local growth minister and Nottingham North and Kimberley MP Alex Norris said: "From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life. 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."The previous government published a code of practice in February 2022 and it was due to come into effect by the end of it was withdrawn following legal challenges launched by several parking meant the private parking sector has been left to regulate itself, through two accredited trade associations called the British Parking Association (BPA) and International Parking Community (IPC). Car park operators, which are members of these associations, can obtain drivers' names and addresses from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and issue parking charge notices (PCNs) for allegedly breaching terms and has led to drivers being asked to pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds for infringements such as taking too long to pay, or keying in their vehicle registration plates government said its new measures would prevent charges caused by issues such as payment machine errors, accidental typos, or poor mobile the AA believes the government's proposals do not go far Cousens, head of roads policy, said: "This long-awaited consultation will not please drivers and suggests that government is bending the knee to the private parking industry."His concerns include a £100 cap on parking charges, which is higher than the £50 previously proposed."We urge all drivers to complete the consultation and submit their views and experiences when dealing with private parking firms," he said. Statistics published by the DVLA suggest private car park operators are issuing more PCNs than ever paid the DVLA for 12.8 million keeper details in the last financial year, which is a 673% increase since 2012."While this partly reflects more parking spaces, the current system lacks independent oversight and sufficient transparency," the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said."At present, operators can avoid sanctions for poor practice, leaving motorists vulnerable to unfair or incorrect charges. The new compliance framework will ensure accountability."Under the proposals, operators that breach the code may stop being able to get drivers' details from the DVLA. The eight-week consultation is due to close on 5 September and people can give their views BPA said it would work closely with the government throughout the consultation, but said the new code must allow for "proper enforcement"."Without proper enforcement, parking quickly becomes a free-for-all, with some people taking advantage at the expense of others," it said in a statement."When spaces are misused, it's often at the expense of those who need them most, such as disabled people, parents with young children and local residents."We believe parking systems must strike a balance: they should deter selfish and anti-social behaviour, but they must also be fair, proportionate, and transparent."
The Independent
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Government launches crackdown on ‘misleading' private parking firms
Long-awaited plans to crack down on the 'misleading tactics and confusing processes' used by private parking companies have been launched. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said its consultation on a legislation-backed code of practice for the sector is aimed at creating a 'fairer, more transparent private parking system'. Analysis earlier this week by the PA news agency found Britain's drivers were handed a record 14.4 million parking tickets by private companies in the year to the end of March. That was a 13% increase from the 12.8 million during the previous 12 months, and more than double the 6.8 million in 2018/2019. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers may be near £3.9 million at the current rate. Local growth minister Alex Norris said: 'From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life. '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. 'This is another example of how we are fixing the things that really impact people's day-to-day lives.' Companies chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Some parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. It emerged in April that many drivers are being sent tickets they claim are unfair because of how some payment machines operate, with one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. Some machines which require users to input their vehicle registration accept payment after only one letter is entered. This has led to multiple cases of drivers paying the required parking fee but still being sent a parking charge notice when their vehicle was detected by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The Government's consultation will run for eight weeks. A Bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. This code – scheduled to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023 – included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets. But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Government launches crackdown on ‘misleading' private parking firms
Long-awaited plans to crack down on the 'misleading tactics and confusing processes' used by private parking companies have been launched. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said its consultation on a legislation-backed code of practice for the sector is aimed at creating a 'fairer, more transparent private parking system'. Analysis earlier this week by the PA news agency found Britain's drivers were handed a record 14.4 million parking tickets by private companies in the year to the end of March. That was a 13% increase from the 12.8 million during the previous 12 months, and more than double the 6.8 million in 2018/2019. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers may be near £3.9 million at the current rate. Local growth minister Alex Norris said: 'From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life. '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. 'This is another example of how we are fixing the things that really impact people's day-to-day lives.' Companies chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Some parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. It emerged in April that many drivers are being sent tickets they claim are unfair because of how some payment machines operate, with one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. Some machines which require users to input their vehicle registration accept payment after only one letter is entered. This has led to multiple cases of drivers paying the required parking fee but still being sent a parking charge notice when their vehicle was detected by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. The Government's consultation will run for eight weeks. A Bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. This code – scheduled to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023 – included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets. But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
Daily Mail
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Private parking firms issued record 1,640 tickets every hour in 2024 - despite Government promises to crack down on 'bandit' operators
Motorists were hit with a record 1,640 parking tickets every hour last year – despite Government promises to crack down on 'bandit' operators. Ruthless firms issued 14.4million tickets to drivers in the 12 months to April this year – more than 27 every minute. This breaks the previous record of 12.8million given out in 2023/24 and it is more than double the 6.8million in 2018/2019. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers could be nearly £4million. And the figures apply only to car parks run by private firms, not councils. Ministers faced fresh calls to get tough on cut-throat companies causing misery for drivers. Motorists have been waiting years for a crackdown on such firms, amid complaints about poor signage and a lack of grace periods if drivers do not return to their cars in time but are not at fault. The previous Tory government withdrew a code of practice aimed at protecting drivers from 'cowboy' operators, which would have slashed the maximum fine from £100 to £50. Ministers caved in after firms legally challenged the proposals, but the Government is now drafting a new code. AA president Edmund King said: 'We warned in 2012, when we managed to get 'cowboy' clampers outlawed, that many of these people would go intoprivate parking and hence stricter regulations were needed. 'Unfortunately we have been proved correct.' The analysis is based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency by firms chasing motorists for alleged infringements. Some 184 such companies asked for vehicle owner details in 2024/25. A government spokesman said: 'We are determined to drive up standards in the industry.' A British Parking Association spokesman said: 'The data consistently shows that only around 0.3 per cent of private land parking events result in a parking charge. The increase in the number of parking charges is also strongly linked to the increase in new managed car parks.' Meanwhile, it now costs up to £189 to park for four days at some UK airports. Comparison website looked at offers from airports across four dates. The most expensive was London City Airport, costing £189 for a four-day stay with an average of £93.90 in short-stay car parks.
The Independent
09-07-2025
- Automotive
- The Independent
Record 14.4 million parking fines issued by private firms last year
Britain's drivers were handed a record 14.4 million parking fines by private companies last year. The daily rate that tickets were issued by private companies in the year to the end of March was 39,374. The total over the period was up 13% compared with the 12.8 million during the previous year, and more than double the 6.8 million in 2018/2019. Motoring groups say this demonstrates the 'urgent' need for the Government to reintroduce a code of practice for the sector. Parking industry bodies have insisted the rising number of tickets issued is simply a result of the increase in the amount of car parks being privately managed, but motoring organisations dispute this claim. Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers may be near £3.9 million at the current rate. Private parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees. It emerged in April that many drivers are being sent tickets they claim are unfair because of how some payment machines operate, with one campaigner claiming the devices are 'set up to trap people'. Some machines which require users to input their vehicle registration accept payment after only one letter being entered. This has led to multiple cases of drivers paying the required parking fee but still being sent a parking charge notice when their vehicle was detected by automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras. A Bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. This code – scheduled to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023 – included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets. But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies. Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, said: 'Business is clearly booming for private parking firms. 'Frankly it is now more urgent than ever that this Government puts years and years of false starts behind it and gets on with implementing both a code of practice and an independent appeals service. 'Only then are we likely to see the number of tickets starting to fall, which must be the success measure we'd all like to see.' Simon Williams, head of policy at automotive services company the RAC, said: 'Too many unfair tickets are still being handed out by operators who haven't been forced to adhere to stricter rules, and too many drivers are still being hounded by debt collection companies. 'We don't believe the parking industry's argument that PCNs (Parking Charge Notice's) are only at record levels purely because they're managing more car parks. 'We urge the Government to ensure the official code is launched this year with all the protection it was intended to have so that we don't see these figures go even higher.' Industry bodies the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community published their own code of practice in June 2024. It included requirements for consistent signage, a single set of rules for operators on private land and an 'appeals charter'. Motoring groups criticised it for not including features such as a cap on charges or the removal of debt recovery fees. The research on parking tickets was based on the number of records obtained from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) by companies chasing vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas. Council-run car parks are not included. Some 184 parking management businesses requested vehicle owner records in 2024/25. ParkingEye was the most active, buying 2.3 million records. The DVLA, which charges companies £2.50 per record, says the fee is set to recover the cost of providing the information, and it does not make money from the process. The BPA and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government were approached for a comment.
