Government to clamp down on rogue parking firms

The Parking Act 2019 has now received Royal Assent and passed into law. As well as establishing a new single code of practice to ensure easier-to-understand regulations when it comes to private parking, the act should better enable motorists to challenge unfair tickets.

A new independent appeals service has also been established. If private firms break its to-be-determined code of practice, they could lose their powers to obtain information from the government, in order to send out fines.

The act follows work the government has already done to curb private parking firms’ powers, including bans on clamping, towing and ‘over-zealous parking enforcement by councils and parking wardens’.

Industry stakeholders and motoring groups, including the AA and the RAC, will collaborate with the government in the coming months to establish and ratify the code of practice.

“Motorists will warmly welcome this new Act,” said Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC.

“For too long, some unscrupulous private parking operators have made drivers’ lives a misery with some questionable practices, which sent levels of trust in the sector plummeting.

“The code will create more consistent standards across the board, which should eliminate dubious practices and create a single, independent appeals process.

“The RAC has long called for changes to the way the private parking sector is regulated and this new code will undoubtedly make the lives of drivers easier.”