Will a new code end 'rip-off parking charges'?
Summary
The UK government has introduced a statutory code for private parking operators after cases such as Rosey Greenwood’s, who faced a £1,906 demand despite having paid to park. Many protections in the proposed code already appear in the parking sector’s voluntary code, and the new rules are still subject to parliamentary scrutiny.Key Facts
- Greenwood was told to pay £1,906 after paying more than five minutes after entering a Derby car park, despite having paid for parking and having bank records to show it.
- The parking sector later banned the five-minute payment rule in its own code of practice.
- The government’s statutory code was laid before Parliament and is subject to a 40-day period for MPs and peers to object.
- The proposed code gives drivers at least five minutes to decide whether to park and a 10-minute grace period to leave after their permitted stay; the sector’s code already provides both.
- The proposed code sets a maximum parking charge of £100, reduced to £60 if paid within two weeks, matching the sector’s existing code.
- Under four specified circumstances, charges should be reduced to £20 on appeal; the sector’s code already includes those reductions.
- Operators may still add a £70 debt recovery fee, as well as court fees and legal costs, if drivers do not pay.
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