Private Parking Code of Practice To Be Withdrawn
According to the RAC, the Private Parking Code of Practice which was put in place to end some of the worst practices in the private car parking sector whilst protecting UK drivers, has been withdrawn.
The Private Parking Code, which was initially announced in February, and was part of a government plan to cap private parking fines to £50 instead of £100. It stated that fines up to £100 would only remain for people who parked in Blue Badge bays without a displaying a Blue Badge.
The code was also meant to create a fairer appeal system to help UK drivers by providing a grace period for lateness when paying fines. Fines paid within two weeks of being issues would get a 50% discount.
Under the initial announcement, private car park operators who went against these rules would be barred from collecting fines from UK motorists in the future.
In February, Minister for Levelling Up Neil O'Brien 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."
However, the Private Parking Code of Practice is now temporarily withdrawn pending a review of the levels of private parking charges and additional fees that can be impossed.
The fact that parking companies take issue with the capping of charge notices and debt recovery fees shows precisely why both the Private Parking Code and the fines cap are needed. RAC head of roads policy Nicholas Lyes said ‘For too long, some companies have been allowed to prey mercilessly on drivers who might make an honest mistake and then have to face both over-zealous enforcement and threatening debt recovery letters. The Government must stand up to these companies and get the code over the line so we finally have fair and transparent enforcement in the private parking sector’.
