Long-overdue reforms for private parking

Private parking charges can be a real source of frustration for motorists. A simple mistake, an unclear sign, a faulty payment machine, or a few minutes’ delay can sometimes result in a hefty charge.

The Government’s new Private Parking Code of Practice, laid before Parliament on 20 October, contains some sensible and long-overdue protections for motorists. But after years of waiting for proper regulation of the private parking industry, motorists will rightly expect the new system to deliver.

Among the most significant changes are new grace periods. Drivers will have at least five minutes to decide whether to stay in a car park and, in most cases, ten minutes to leave once their parking session has ended. That should help prevent people being penalised for brief delays or honest mistakes.

There will also be stronger protections when things genuinely go wrong. Charges will be cancelled on appeal in circumstances including medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, and broken payment machines. For smaller mistakes, such as entering the wrong registration number or forgetting a parking permit, charges will be limited to £20 on appeal.

There should also be greater accountability within the sector. Compliance with the Code will be taken into account when deciding whether operators can access DVLA vehicle keeper data, giving the new rules some real teeth.

But the Government should not pretend the job is finished.

The maximum charge will remain at £100, despite 58.8% of motorists who responded to the consultation opposing the £100 cap. Many of those respondents argued that charges of between £50 and £70 would still provide an effective deterrent. The Government has instead chosen to freeze the existing £100 maximum.

There is unfinished business on debt recovery fees too. The Government has left that issue for a further consultation, rather than resolving it as part of these reforms.

A relatively simple parking dispute should not be allowed to spiral into a much larger and more worrying bill simply because additional fees have been added.

These protections are welcome, but they are overdue, and they cannot be the end of the story.

Motorists need a system that is fair, transparent, and proportionate. I will be watching closely to make sure these reforms deliver in practice, while continuing to press the Government to go further where they fall short.