New Code of Practice to level out parking charges

Motorists are set to benefit from a major government crackdown on rogue parking firms which will see fines slashed and a clearer and fairer appeals system created.

Amongst a new package of measures is a new Code of Practice to help keep ‘cowboy’ private parking firms in check. The Parking Code of Practice will see parking fines cut by up to 50 per cent in the majority of cases, saving motorists millions of pounds each year.

The new parking charge levels will mirror the local authority system for publicly accessible car parks.

The proposals include a maximum cap for parking fines, a 10-minute grace period before a late fine can be issued, and a requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions.

Aside from London, in England and Wales charges will be reduced from £100 to £70 or £50, depending on the seriousness of the breach.

Neil O‘Brien, Minister for Levelling Up, said: “Private firms issue roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a system of misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists.

“The new Code of Practice will set out a clear vision with the interests of safe motorists at its heart, while cracking down on the worst offenders who put other people in danger and hinder our emergency services from carrying out their duties.”