Putting The Boot In To The BPA on Their Turf

Martin_Cutts

Thanks for all the favourable comments about my talk to the parking conference. It's great that so many people have copied the speech to their MPs. We now need a big break like a prominent media story or some parliamentary exposure. The BPA needs to be sanctioned for the way it appears to have misled the Government when campaigning (successfully) to get the law changed on registered keeper liability.

Can I just correct one thing: I didn't 'refuse' to provide conference organizers with a copy of the speech in advance. I provided an outline of some of its points but the speech was still being written on the morning of the event. It's good that the conference organizers, Landor Links, invited me to talk and that its Parking Review magazine was prepared to print an article critical of the industry in the May issue, albeit followed by 2.5 pages of excuses from the BPA, DVLA and Excel Parking Services Ltd. The BPA's own magazine, Parking News, had previously asked me for an article but refused to print what I sent them.

Don't forget there's a full-length dissection of the private parking industry on Plain Language Commission's website, though it doesn't include the (new) info about the BPA's use of apparently misleading figures. MSE won't allow me to insert the link here, but the article is easily found through the Publications > Articles > Parking section of the site.

We all need to keep the pot boiling now.

James_N

Martin_Cutts wrote: »

Thanks for all the favourable comments about my talk to the parking conference. It's great that so many people have copied the speech to their MPs. We now need a big break like a prominent media story or some parliamentary exposure. The BPA needs to be sanctioned for the way it appears to have misled the Government when campaigning (successfully) to get the law changed on registered keeper liability.

Can I just correct one thing: I didn't 'refuse' to provide conference organizers with a copy of the speech in advance. I provided an outline of some of its points but the speech was still being written on the morning of the event. It's good that the conference organizers, Landor Links, invited me to talk and that its Parking Review magazine was prepared to print an article critical of the industry in the May issue, albeit followed by 2.5 pages of excuses from the BPA, DVLA and Excel Parking Services Ltd. The BPA's own magazine, Parking News, had previously asked me for an article but refused to print what I sent them.

Don't forget there's a full-length dissection of the private parking industry on Plain Language Commission's website, though it doesn't include the (new) info about the BPA's use of apparently misleading figures. MSE won't allow me to insert the link here, but the article is easily found through the Publications > Articles > Parking section of the site.

We all need to keep the pot boiling now.

Martin
You are to be congratulated both in terms of Plain Language and (more importantly for matters here) for the clarity you bring to the dark side of the PPC business model.
I will be emailing my MP.

LincolnshireYokel

Absolutely first class dismemberment of the Thieves Guild that the BPA is.

Martin Cutts for PM, hes about the only sane sensible civil servant ive ever encountered.

ManxRed

Martin_Cutts wrote: »

Don't forget there's a full-length dissection of the private parking industry on Plain Language Commission's website, though it doesn't include the (new) info about the BPA's use of apparently misleading figures. MSE won't allow me to insert the link here, but the article is easily found through the Publications > Articles > Parking section of the site.

Here's the link, although it doesn't come up properly for me (I am using a VERY old browser though).

http://www.clearest.co.uk/pages/publications/articlesbyourteam/parkinglanguage

esmerobbo

Keep up the good work Martin and of course not forgetting Nev Metson.;)

esmerobbo

ManxRed wrote: »

Here's the link, although it doesn't come up properly for me (I am using a VERY old browser though).

http://www.clearest.co.uk/pages/publications/articlesbyourteam/parkinglanguage

Works fine for me!;)

notts_phil

I would like to see the 2.5 pages of excuses by the dvla/BPA and excel

Orford

Direct link to the report here:
Download article here (4MB).

LincolnshireYokel

LOL I see Mr Cutts has actually used the phrase 'Threatogram', a term jointly originated by this forum and Pepipoo!!!

And i love the phrase' "...Michael Sobell, not the brightest button ever sewn on the frock coat of justice"

davidlizard

Some interesting statistics are buried in this.

BPA claim 2%-5% of tickets (36000-90000) end up in court.

Therefore that means approximately 1.8 Million "tickets" are issued each year.

The Freedom of information request showed 845 were registered for court, with 49 actually appearing in front of a judge in 2011.

Therefore, the chances of being taken to court are approx 1 in 21,000 and the changes of it actually appearing are approx 1 in 350,000!

These statistics should be used to reassure people who receive such letters and are worried they will go to court - now we have some hard evidence of the probability of this actually happening.

It would be interesting to hear what percentage actually pay these things immediately or later on, and other outcomes.

(Feel free to correct my maths!)