Drivers will receive new legal protections from unscrupulous
private parking operators as Communities Secretary, , today (28 January 2018)
confirmed that government will support new legislation aimed at
raising standards in the industry.
Evidence shows that, in total, nearly 10,000 people approached
the Citizen’s Advice Bureau for advice on private parking tickets
last year and parking firms are issuing almost 13 times more
tickets than decade ago.
Drivers are increasingly complaining of inconsistent practices,
substandard signage, confusing appeals processes and intimidating
payment letters.
That is why the government is supporting new legislation to
regulate the private parking industry.
Under the plans, which will deliver on a manifesto commitment to
tackle rogue parking operators, a stringent new Code of Practice
will be developed by the Secretary of State in conjunction with
motorists groups and other experts.
Those falling foul of the rules would then be blocked from
accessing driver data and issuing fines, effectively forcing them
out of the industry.
These measures, introduced in a Bill by Sir MP, build on action government
has already taken to tackle rogue private parking operators,
including banning wheel clamping and towing, and over-zealous
parking enforcement by councils and parking wardens.
Secretary of State for Communities, , said:
For too long drivers have suffered from unjust fines at the
hands of dodgy parking firms.
We need a fairer, clearer and more consistent system that
brings the small minority of unscrupulous operators in line
with those who are behaving appropriately.
That is why government is putting the brakes on these rogue
operators and backing new laws that will put a stop to
aggressive behaviour and provide a simpler way for drivers to
appeal fines.
Industry bodies have lined up to support the Bill, which will
receive its Second Reading in the House of Commons on Friday (2
February 2018).
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:
Motorists will be delighted that the government is throwing its
weight behind Sir ’s move to bring some much
needed regulatory rigour to the world of private parking.
We all hoped the ban on clamping would end the sharp practices
that had come to plague private parking, but the fact that
companies are issuing millions of penalty tickets annually is
clear evidence that something is still going badly awry.
Drivers don’t want a parking free-for-all, but they do want a
system that is fair to all parties and that’s what a code of
practice set by government – rather than the industry itself –
should bring about.
Andrew Pester, Chief Executive of the British Parking
Association, said:
We welcome Sir Greg’s Bill that aims to drive consistency and
fairness in the private parking sector. Our membership already
complies with a robust Code of Practice which we continuously
seek to improve through consultation.
A single, mandatory code of practice across the whole sector is
important to ensure that unscrupulous providers don’t undermine
the parking sector with bad practice. As the leading authority
in the sector we shall continue to work closely with government
and key stakeholders to press for progress towards a positive
outcome for all.
The Parking (Code of Practice)
Bill is a Private Members Bill introduced by Sir
MP.
The new Code of Practice will be drafted up with stakeholders,
and would provide the clarity of a single set of rules for
private parking, with clearer processes for appeals.
The Secretary of State would also have the power to raise a levy
on the sector to fund the production, publishing and enforcement
of the code.
At present, there are 2 parking trade associations, the British
Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community
(IPC). Each has a Code of Practice that their members are
required to abide by. A single code is intended to set a higher
standard for practices across the sector, especially in the area
of appeals against parking tickets.
Citizen’s Advice Bureau statistics show that, in 2017, 5,011
(2016: 4690) people went into their local CAB branch seeking help
about private parking. In addition, 4,395 (stats not available
for 2016) called the Consumer helpline.
The RAC Foundation expects that, in 2018, 6 million tickets will
be issued by firms operating on private land. This is up from 4.7
million in 2017.
RAC Foundation statistics also show that, in the second quarter
of 2017-18, 1,429,703 vehicle-keeper records were sold to the
private parking firms to issue tickets. This was 1,177% – or
almost 13 times – higher than the 111,944 records sold a decade
earlier in the second quarter of 2007 to 2008.
The government is currently
consulting to stop unfair practices in the issuing of
County Court judgments.
