GOVERNMENT SETS NEW RULES FOR PRIVATE PARKING CHARGES

The Government has announced a private parking code that will give drivers more scope to challenge charges. Under the proposed rules, drivers will have five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after a parking session ends without facing a charge. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said drivers will be able to appeal charges for stopping briefly to check directions or breaking down in a car park. It said the code will also cover circumstances beyond a driver’s control, including a medical emergency or a broken ticket machine.

Drivers who forget a permit, enter their registration incorrectly or fail to confirm it at a machine will face a maximum charge of £20 on appeal, the ministry said. The Government said the code will keep other private parking charges at a maximum of £100. Prime Minister Andy 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.” He said the Government would introduce clearer rules and lower charges for genuine mistakes.

The Government said operators that fail to follow the code risk losing access to DVLA vehicle keeper data, which private parking companies use to pursue charges. An analysis of government data by the Press Association and RAC Foundation counted 16.9 million tickets issued by private parking businesses in the year to the end of March. The analysis counted 14.4 million in the preceding year and 6.8 million in 2018/19. The parking industry attributed the rise in tickets to an increase in the number of car parks under management.