The government says motorists will gain a right to challenge private parking charges for honest mistakes, such as pausing to check directions or a breakdown, and that charges will be frozen at a maximum of £100. Drivers who forget a permit or enter details incorrectly will face a maximum charge of £20, according to the housing ministry.
Under the new code, drivers get five free minutes in a car park to decide where to park and ten minutes to leave without a penalty. Operators that do not comply risk losing access to the vehicle keeper database, and a fully independent scrutiny and oversight board is being introduced for the first time. The code applies in England, Scotland and Wales and is expected to take effect by the end of 2026. Debt recovery fees are not banned: the government will consult on them, including on whether to cut the existing £70 cap or scrap the fees.
Private businesses issued a record 16.9 million parking tickets in the year to the end of March, up from 14.4 million the year before, a rise the parking industry attributes to more car parks being managed. Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket and that he is putting a stop to them. The policy head of a motoring research body called the code a step in the right direction but noted it does not ban debt recovery fees, which it has campaigned for. The Conservatives' shadow transport minister, Greg Smith, called Burnham posing as the driver's friend a joke, arguing the £100 maximum is unchanged and that Labour is doubling parking fines in England.
