Unfair private parking tickets will be eliminated through the introduction of new rule for private car parks
Unfair private parking tickets will be eliminated through the introduction of new rules for private car parks, the Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP has announced today (31 August 2020).
The government has put forward proposals designed to crack down on rogue car parking firms that will form part of a new Parking Code of Practice and Framework.
The proposals include, a maximum cap for parking fines, a 10-minute grace period before a late fine can be issued and a requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions.
The new measures will be a major boost to millions of motorists in England, Scotland and Wales and will help to draw people back to their local high streets by eliminating the fear of being penalised with an unfair parking ticket.
Communities Secretary Rt Hon Robert Jenrick MP said:
Fresh measures proposed in the new Code and Framework include the creation of a mandatory single Appeals Service and Appeals Charter for motorists to turn to if they are unfairly fined. Under options set out in the Appeals Charter, motorists could be able to appeal their fine and see it reduced to a maximum of £20, or cancelled entirely if:
The consultations also propose:
High Streets Minister Simon Clarke MP said:
Unlike existing voluntary codes set by industry, the new Code and Enforcement Framework will be mandatory and provide a single set of rules to follow. Rogue firms which break the Code could be barred from requesting Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data, making them unable to pursue motorists for their charges through the post.
Steve Gooding, Director of the RAC Foundation said:
Scott Steedman, Director of Standards at BSI said:
Sir Greg Knight, Member of Parliament for East Yorkshire who piloted the Parking (Code of Practice) Bill through Parliament and onto the Statute Book said:
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act became law in March 2019 and builds on action the government has already taken to tackle rogue private parking firms, including banning wheel clamping and towing and stopping over-zealous parking enforcement by councils.
Further Information
The consultation for the new Parking Code of Practice will be published on the BSI website and will run until 12 October.
The consultation for the new Parking Enforcement Framework will be published on GOV.UK and will also run until 12 October.
The Parking (Code of Practice) Bill was a Private Members Bill introduced by Sir Greg Knight MP, supported by the government and received Royal Assent in March 2019. It covers England, Wales, and Scotland – creating consistency for motorists everywhere in Britain.
Currently, there are 2 parking trade associations, the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community. Each has a Code of Practice that their members are required to abide by, but there is no single set of rules, so motorists are vulnerable to bad private parking practices such as deliberately poor signage and unfair parking fines.
The government is proposing that the New Appeals Charter will reduce parking charges to between £0 and £20 for the issues below:
The government is also proposing a new tiered system for parking fines. There are 2 options for this, with 3 or 2 tiers proposed. The 3-tier system could operate as follows:
Alternatively, it could result in a 2-tier system that would mirror that found in local authority parking regulation. This local authority system operates as follows outside of London:
For London, penalty charges are set by the London local authorities acting jointly and by Transport for London, with the approval of the Mayor (and provided that the Secretary of State does not object.) There are 2 tiers as set out below with a higher penalty charge level and different contraventions that fall into each level. Again, lower-tier councils can choose a slightly lower charge, as long as they apply it consistently: