A new code of practice published by the private parking has raised concerns by failing to tackle key areas.
The BPA’s (British Parking Association) and the IPC’s (International Parking Community) private parking sector single code of practice will be used across the entire private parking sector from 1 October 2024, with all existing sites needing to be updated by December 2026.
The organisations say the new single code will raise standards and deliver greater transparency and consistency for the benefit of motorists, while also providing consistent rules for private parking operators.
The new code introduces an Appeals Charter, creating clear parameters for motorists to appeal against a parking charge, and also mandates a 10-minute grace period for motorists.
But it also maintains the £100 cap on the parking charge, which is reduced to £60 if paid within 14 days, and fails to tackle debt recovery fees.
Both measures had been key parts of the Government’s official Private Parking Code of Practice, backed by legislation enacted in 2019 and due to be in place by the end of 2023, but delayed due to legal challenges.
Commenting on the BPA’s and IPC’s new code, Jack Cousens, head of roads policy for the AA, said: “It’s somewhat ironic that after pushing so hard against adopting one, the two bodies have decided to implement their own. This watered-down ‘code of practice’ falls far short of the standards the AA, Government and consumer groups have called for across many years.
“This self-authored ‘code’ doesn’t acknowledge the need to cap charges and remove debt recovery fees. These elements are desperately needed from a government backed Code to protect innocent drivers from the sharks running private car parks.”
And the RAC said drivers shouldn’t be fooled into thinking this “so-called code developed by the private parking industry itself” is the same as the long-delayed official Private Parking Code of Practice that is backed by legislation.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This, and only this, will bring an end to the worst practices of some private parking operators and mean drivers, and especially those who are vulnerable, are protected from unreasonable fines and debt collectors chasing down payments.
“We accept that some of the measures being introduced by the parking industry are an improvement on the status quo which, we have long argued, is totally unacceptable. But what operators will now be expected to do falls miles short of what drivers have been promised by the Government, which includes a cap on fines and debt recovery fees, a single independent appeals service, and sanctions against companies that break the rules such as being banned from operating.
“We sincerely hope the official government code will finally come into force later this year, five years after it became law.”
