Andy Burnham announces major changes to parking fines in crackdown on 'rip-off' charges
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has vowed to get rid of ‘rip-off’ parking charges in a new shakeup of rules for private parking.
UK drivers will now be allowed to challenge unfair parking charges and will be given a five minute window to decide whether to park as well as 10 minutes to leave car parks once their paid session ends without being hit with a penalty.
The new private parking code of practice will give motorists the right to have charges cancelled on appeal for honest mistakes, such as stopping quickly to check directions, medical emergencies, vehicle breakdown, or a faulty ticket machine.
It will also introduce a maximum charge of £20 on appeal for mistakes such as forgetting your parking permit, putting in the wrong vehicle registration, or forgetting to confirm the registration in the machine when parking.
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Burnham said: “Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
“These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off.”
The code will mean private parking charges are capped at a maximum of £100, with the UK Government warning that operators who do not comply with the new rules, risk losing access to DVLA data.
Currently, private parking companies use vehicle keeper information from the DVLA to pursue parking charges.
The new private parking code of practice will apply in England, Scotland and Wales and will bring in a fully independent scrutiny and oversight board for the first time.
Data from the RAC and the Press Association revealed that a record-breaking 16.9 million parking tickets were handed out by private businesses in the year to the end of March, an increase of more than two million on the year before when 14.4 million tickets were handed out.
The news rules have been praised as a ‘step in the right direction’ by RAC head of policy Simon Williams, but he said it wasn’t quite the ‘leap’ the motoring services company had been hoping for.
He said: “We’ve long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices (PCNs) and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included, which is disappointing.
“That said, the fact we finally have a code seven years on from the Private Parking Code of Practice Act becoming law is positive.
“Car park management companies will now have to conform to a new set of rules or risk losing access to the DVLA’s database which they depend on to issue PCNs to drivers.
“This will hopefully prevent many drivers wrongly being issued tickets in the first place.”
Williams added: “While this isn’t quite the Christmas present we wanted for drivers, it should hopefully save many the stress of having to challenge unfair tickets.”
Claire Reid