The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019

PaisleyBuddy51

I have already paid ParkingEye £60 for a PCN.  I appealed, telling them that I must have made an honest mistake when using the machine, but I had no evidence so I was not surprised that my appeal was rejected.

That aside, I spent some time researching legislation on parking on private land.  Two of my sources were on the Government pages.

The version that is written in plain English is a press release that was published on 7 February 2022.  It is an easily understood summary of The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, which itself was updated in some areas in May 2024. I would not describe the latter as a good read for laymen, so I will focus on the first.

I am not allowed to give a link so just google 'Government clamps down on rogue parking firms with new Code of Practice'. 

It says that:

•  the maximum charges will be dropped from £100 to £70 or £50.

The maximum on my PCN is £100.

• It says that honest mistakes, such as mistyping the car registration, will now be automatically cancelled.

Perhaps I mistyped my registration, but I have no way of finding out. Presumably ParkingEye could  carry out a search for a registration that is only one character different to mine, or a registration that does not match any car that entered the car park on that day.

• The discount for paying within 14 days will be 50%.

My discount is only 40%

Unfortunately there is a problem with this information, because on clicking on the link 'Parking Code of Practice' (fairly near the beginning of the article), you are taken to another government page that says that the publication was temporarily (my bold) withdrawn on 7 June 2022.  Well, that was over 2 years ago.What has happened to it over this time?

I persisted and hit upon 'The private parking sector single Code of Practice', a 60 page document published in June 2024. This is the work of the British Parking Association and on page 1 it says it 'largely based on the Government's Private Parking Code of Practice which was initially published in February 2022 before being withdrawn in June 2022'. Remember there was an update in May 2024, so why are we still waiting?

Gr1pr

Various delays, was with the old dluhc, now with the MHCLG, might get implemented next year, so come back here before Xmas next year and check, won't be retrospective ( the deep predicted it would be over by Xmas 2019 , 5 years ago. )

Meanwhile, the BPA and IPC have a joint CoP in place, dated 2024

PaisleyBuddy51

Yes, that is what I was what I was referring to in my final paragraph.  I feel that a government publication would carry more clout when it comes to appealing PCNs.

Fruitcake

Ask your MP, and get all your friends and family to ask theirs, when will the new CoP be introduced, pointing out that answers like, "in due course" are meaningless. Tell your MPs you want them to ask the MHCLG when will they be acting to stop the 12 million a year parking charges from unregulated private parking companies. Emphasise that the joint IPC/BPA CoP does nothing to address the issues previously raised, and has actually exacerbated the problem by making parking Ts and Cs worse, not better, and the industry is still unregulated.

PaisleyBuddy51

In fact, the best part of the government's proposed code of practice was that the DVLA would refuse to provide the addresses of the car owners to rogue parking operators.

Gr1pr

Study this long thread, its a topic that regularly comes up, due to waiting 6 years for the final implementation across 3 nations

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6538052/reviving-the-private-parking-bill/p1

Umkomaas

Looking at your username, are you based in Scotland 

PaisleyBuddy51

Born near Paisley, but now living in England.

Coupon-mad

PaisleyBuddy51 said:

In fact, the best part of the government's proposed code of practice was that the DVLA would refuse to provide the addresses of the car owners to rogue parking operators.

No it wasn't!  That's literally not a change. That position already exists now.

I helped to write the Code of Practice as I'm on the Government Steering Group and in my view, the best thing was the ban on the 'extortion' of false DRA fees that drives cases in a conveyor belt to lucrative court claims.

Sadly that's the bit the industry objected to (because it wasn't properly consulted on).

I can't talk about the Steering Group work but rest assured it is ongoing with the new Labour Government now, to get the Code finalised and over the line next year.  Busy trying to get there and get it right.  I'm involved still.

So, you didn't need to tell this forum about that legislation. We're involved in it!

(You should NEVER have paid the PCN).

Nellymoser

@PaisleyBuddy51 as coupon-mad says work is ongoing with new Govt dept but we need to ensure it doesn't 'keep ongoing' as it did with the previous Govt. Allowing the private parking industry to continue to reap the benefits leaving motorists exposed to the industry's sharp practices.

On Thus a Labour MP told Parliament "Rip off parking fines need to go"
https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81152306/#Comment_81152306

See MPs written questions to the Govt dept after the code was withdrawn in 2022.
https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions?Answered=Any&AnsweredFrom=&AnsweredTo=&DateFrom=01/03/2022&DateTo=22/07/2025&Expanded=True&House=Bicameral&SearchTerm="Private parking" &Page=1

You could support/share Stanley Luckhurst's re-issued petition. The original was cancelled due to the July 2024 general election. Stanley (86yrs) has been campaigning since Excel dragged him to court in 2023 over a PCN... Excel lost.

Bring the Parking Code of Practice into law, as per the 2019 Act of Parliament
https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/701453

patient_dream

These words say it all ....
2019 Act of Parliament
Not some jumped up joint code of the UNREGULATED BPA/IPC

Of course the PPC's and so called legals will quote the BPA/IPC code of practice

Why would anyone take notice, it's NOT A LAW