Prime Minister Burnham Unveils New Code of Practice to End “Rip-Off” Private Parking Fines

LONDON – British Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced new rules for private car parks aimed at ending what he described as “rip-off” parking charges, giving motorists in England, Scotland and Wales new rights to challenge unfair penalties and longer grace periods before a fine can be issued.

Under a new private parking code of practice due to be laid before Parliament on Tuesday, drivers will be guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and ten minutes to leave a car park after their parking session ends without facing a penalty.

The code will also cap charges at £20 on appeal for minor errors, such as forgetting a parking permit, entering an incorrect vehicle registration, or failing to confirm the registration at the machine. Charges will be cancelled altogether on appeal in cases of genuine mistakes or circumstances beyond a driver’s control, including stopping briefly to check directions, medical emergencies, vehicle breakdowns, or broken ticket machines. The maximum parking charge will be frozen at £100, matching the limit under the existing industry code.

Mr. Burnham said motorists should not be landed with heavy fines for being a few minutes late back to their cars or mistyping a single digit of their number plate, adding that such charges left people feeling cheated and out of pocket. He said the government was introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for honest mistakes.

The move follows years of complaints from drivers who feel they have been harshly penalised by private operators. Private parking firms issued a record 14.4 million tickets in a single year, according to government data. Legislation providing for a statutory code, the Parking (Code of Practice) Act, was passed in 2019, but a code issued by a previous government in 2022 was withdrawn later that year following a legal challenge from the industry.

The new rules received a broadly positive response from motoring organisations. The AA’s head of roads policy, Jack Cousens, said that after seven long years drivers finally had something that could offer them better protection against the worst private parking operators. The RAC said the changes would shield motorists from the poor practices of some private parking companies.

The British Parking Association welcomed the changes but noted that many of the principles in the new framework were already reflected in the industry’s existing voluntary code. A consumer group, meanwhile, said the long-overdue rules fell well short of what was needed to help drivers fight back against rogue operators, criticising the government for stepping back from a £50 cap on charges.