Parking stories in the News/media

Coupon-mad

And yet the BPA bangs on with its perpetual consumer blame culture and propaganda about 'carmageddon' in their twisted cloud cuckoo land:

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/2175443/private-parking-firms-tickets-charge-drivers/amp

Greedy parking firms want to charge UK drivers even more - they must be stopped

Parking firms have hit back over plans for new financial restrictions; these greedy firms need to be stopped now.

We've seen this article or others like it but after reading the latest articles above, it's worth reminding ourselves that for the parking sector it's ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.

We'll see the KADOE requests around 17.6 million by the end of this tax year.

"Latest data shows private parking companies issued a whopping 15.9 million parking tickets in the year to September 2025, a new record and up 17% on the 13.6 million during the previous 12 months.

The RAC has also called out the BPA’s stance, stressing that they “don’t support the use of debt recovery companies by the private parking industry”.

(Voice of reason) RAC’s Simon Williams said:

“A £100 parking charge notice is bad enough, but if this isn’t paid in 28 days it automatically gets increased by £70 when a debt recovery letter lands on the doormat. This seems disproportionate and could scare people into paying rather than appealing any unfair fines."

The article continues:

"…the BPA's latest quip shows what these tickets are all about. It's not to make the roads safer; it’s all about money.

Under the current rules, parking fines are capped at £100, but an additional £70 can be added 28 days later if debt recovery agents are required to intervene.

Labour is now looking into whether they could ban the {added double recovery scam 'fee' falsehood} and lower the 'fine' cap for private parking, with a consultation receiving over 4,000 responses, so it appears Starmer and co. can play nice when it comes to motoring legislation after all.

But, the BPA have intervened, warning Labour’s new rule could lead to “carmageddon” as there is no longer a sufficient deterrent for drivers flouting parking rules.

So what the BPA is saying is that it’s a good thing drivers are being chased for £100 fines and then harassed for a £70 debt-collection fee from private companies.

But, defending the use of debt collecting agencies for breaching common private parking rules, such as staying too long at a supermarket, isn’t going to wash with already frustrated British drivers. The BPA told Express.co.uk of the possible 'chaos' if motorists were not caught out, explaining that managed parking is the only way to ensure everyone can park where and when they need to."

Errr…the ONLY WAY?!

Chaos?! LOL … that's not what happens at ALWAYS non-infested retail parks such as the Portfield Retail Park at Chichester or the Holmbush Centre at Shoreham, West Sussex, to name but two in my area which function very well with no parking issues ever reported.

Further, I recall the Parking Prankster surveyed the retailers at a Retail Park near him and discovered they had all pushed back to prevent a damaging ANPR time limit proposed by the site agent:

http://parking-prankster.blogspot.com/2015/07/carmageddon.html?m=1

Determined to get to the bottom of the matter The Prankster visited the the establishments on the retail site and asked questions of the store managers.

Costa Coffee stated they never had a parking problem. "There are plenty of spaces as you can see." They never had a customer complaint about parking.

The Cinema manager declined to comment, but perhaps looked pointedly at the huge amount of available parking.

The Hollywood bowl stated there were no problems even at weekends and busy times. They informed The Prankster that Savilles wanted to put cameras in with a 2-3 hour limit a while back. The retailers had all pushed back because it would have hurt their businesses. The bowling alley, cinema Costa Coffee, McDonald's and Greggs all opposed the cameras and so manage to get Savilles to change their mind.

Krispy Kreme said there was no problem. They might get a lorry driver sleeping at 11pm when the car park was otherwise empty but they were always gone in morning. They would oppose any time limit.

McDonald's had no parking problems. The park was busy at weekends but there were always plenty of spaces

Marks and Spencer said there was never a problem. There might be one or two non customers parking, "who knows", but they would be adamantly against a limit because it would hurt business.

The only problem The Prankster identified that was there were "boy racer" meets every few months. Of course, that is not solved by cameras. The retailers use security to move them on.

So to summarise; a similar car park is in a similar position owned by the same people and managed by the same agents. Parking is free with no limit and no enforcement at all. Despite there being no space problems the landowner tried to enforce a camera regime of 2-3 hours, presumably so they could trouser £1,000 a week. This was robustly resisted by the retailers because it would have hurt their business. None of the retailers thought there was a problem which needed fixing, even though occasional users (eg sleeping lorry drivers) may not be customers. Even at the busiest times there are no problems. No retailers reported complaints from customers. Carmageddon has not ensued.

But the BPA's propaganda continues:

"Everyone pays the price for inconsiderate parking, and we see the impact in town centres, hospitals, retail developments and leisure venues up and down the country. These situations highlight how essential effective parking control is essential to keeping towns and car parks functioning safely and smoothly.”

The following scaremongering codswallop was added:

"Without proper management, even a few badly parked cars can create serious disruption. All it takes is one blocked driveway, one vehicle on double yellows or one car in an ambulance bay to cause gridlock."

But BPA, none of those areas exist in most PPC-ruined retail parks or residential estates and none of those are picked up by ANPR anyway!

BPA & IPC: your bleating won't wash.

molerat

ECP on Morning Live BBC1 this morning over tickets being wrongly issued, eventual last minute court discontinuations.

patient_dream

The BPA are approved as a members club and now they are approved as a SCAMMERS CLUB

Does government not understand that the word ACCREDITED is a licence to scam with NO regulation.

The BPA has proved it is not fit for purpose, the latest drivel from them also proves this. Supporting the OSNER scam is DOUBLE RECOVERY and totally agaibst the Supreme Court ruling. Once again proof they should NOT be running a scheme that extorts money from the public with the fear of going to court.

The IPC are the same and we all know how the IPC was set up and why ? Another not fit for purpose outfit.

alanjuk

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81935141#Comment_81935141

14 minutes in

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002t3wh/morning-live-series-7-24032026

1505grandad

"ECP on Morning Live BBC1 this morning over tickets being wrongly issued, eventual last minute court discontinuations."

As usual not a single reference as to where these innocent motorists data is farmed - the good old DVLA who sell the data without a care in the world - bet they are laughing with the possible 17.6 million x £2.50 this tax year.

Nellymoser

Wonder if the CMA could investigate DVLA?

Otherwise, I felt it was a good report, hope MHCLG saw it and realise what they are leaving the public exposed to 🤠

The Debt Collectors and DCB Legal shamed. Their unprofessional practices revealed as they chased, continually demanded money (£170+) from people who had already evidenced they had paid the tariff payment. DCB Legal pursued all the way to court then discontinued the case close to the hearing date. 😳

No surprise ECP didn't wish to comment on the programme….

patient_dream

Just watched Morning Live on catch-up. Makes Euro look stupid and shown is a claim form from DCBL which was discontinued as per normal.

This raises a mega concern about POPLA

The older couple paid to park and had proof.

Euro rejected the appeal and clearly SO did POPLA as debt collector letters followed and then a stupid claim from DCBL

Despite proof that parking had been paid for, nobody took any notice ?

The BPA has lost control

The BBC mentioned the HUGE fine for Euro and asked them for a comment …… Of course they did not reply, like the CMA contacting them which Euro thought was a scam, they ignored the BBC ?

GOVERNMENT ….. protect normal people from this mega scam and do something

Coupon-mad

A parliamentary question (PQ) regarding the laying of the statutory Code came into the MHCLG last week.

The MHCLG told me that the response to this PQ was:

‘The Government intends to lay the Private Parking Code of Practice in autumn 2026.’

But in fact it wasn't:

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2026-03-11/120184

However, the MHCLG clarified to me today that there was a question asked in the HoL this afternoon about the delay in the statutory Parking Code of practice:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2026-03-24/debates/4D00679D-97B3-4672-9C4D-ED34C896C486/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Act2019

Reported (and I use term very loosely indeed, as it's GB News) here:

https://www.gbnews.com/lifestyle/cars/labour-driving-rules-parking-fines-roads

And in the HoL it was stated that the statutory Code will be laid before Parliament in the Autumn.

Nellymoser

The last two MP's written questions Miatta Fahnbulleh MP answers with "Govt intends to lay the Code in autumn 2026"

https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions?SearchTerm=%22Private+parking%22&DateFrom=09%2F07%2F2024&DateTo=22%2F07%2F2026&AnsweredFrom=&AnsweredTo=&House=Bicameral&Answered=Any&AnsweringBodyId=7&Expanded=True

patient_dream

It is difficult to understand why government is dragging this out considering all the work was done by the last government

If the new code allows FAKE ADD-ON CHARGES, it turns a "parking charge notice" into a "Penalty charge notice" because the fake add-on is a penalty for not paying

Will this government allow a SCAM FAKE ADD-ON.

DOUBLE RECOVERY must be a key word in in every WS, even though the famous discontinue legal, DCBL ..call it DAMAGES