Parking Code of Practice Consultation 2025 - now let's see what happens

Coupon-mad

Coupon-mad said:

Yes, I just got an official email:

This email is to update you that the Private Parking Consultation will be extended for 3 weeks, closing at midnight on Friday 26 September 2025.

Ralph-y said:

why ? what happened ? judicial review?

Haha, not yet. I wasn't surprised.

The Labour chaos and Angela Rayner stepping down today means a Housing Dept reshuffle which has already seen Steve Reed OBE shipped in as Secretary of State and in my experience that means he might want to move the deckchairs in the MHCLG yet again. We might even see a different Minister take on parking. Who knows?

Even if not, it will inevitably delay things this month, so it makes sense to extend the Consultation until the dust settles.

Yawn. Five years of me being on the Steering Group and the can is still being kicked around and down the road. No idea where we are at really, given how bad the current proposals are in terms of non existent caps.

Cue a new version of the Joint Code incoming, I predict, with some self serving crap added to try to bamboozle the next minister. Seen it so many times now.

Protest

5 Sept deadline extended without explanation on 5 Sept. Why?

• Requested by some agency - who & why?
• Lack of responses?
• Sudden lack of Secretary of State?
• Lack of enthusiasm - three week delay leading towards yet more  shortlies and as soon as possibles? 

There is only one group that benefits from confusion and delay and they are first-class at securing that position for themselves whilst also, incredibly,  selling themselves to Govt as trusted experts in carpark management.

If the wheel does actually start to roll on 26th how cn it be kept moving swiftly in the right direction?

It seems that the Ministry officials and the Minister are almost impervious to any sense of urgency - the subject is parking, so lets park it yet again, and then see if we can appoint some consultants to write a report for us......... now where might we find some nice experts.....?    A digestive and more tea Minister?  How was your summer recess?

The chances of any effective endpoint being reached ahead of the next election (and a replay of the consequences we have already seen in 2024) seem remarkably small. 

Coupon-mad

The good thing about a slight delay and Ministry reshuffle is:

The new MPs at the MHCLG should hopefully come with fresh minds and be horrified by the evidence and our angry responses to the proposals, as well as being given an extra clue they've got it wrong on their proposals for 'business as usual caps' due to their own MPs saying as much publicly:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/81630661/#Comment_81630661

The worst thing about delays IMHO is what I predicted above: I reckon the ATAs will issue a changed version of their Joint Code with more anti-consumer crap added.

Nellymoser

I've just fired of an email saying the extremely late notification advising of the change to the closing date was unacceptable. 

I'd just submitted mine then read 1505grandad post that closing date was now 26th Sept.

patient_dream

The new Minister at MHCLG shouild wake up Reeves to how much money the parking industry could pay her. Included is the DVLA 

THE PARKING CHARGE CANNOT BE INCREASED AND SHOULD INCLUDE VATNOT ADDED ON

Now we have Lammy as Justice Secretary
EX LBC presenter, Lammy could put a stop on rogue legals wasting the courts time and wasting tax payers money

OR, will these two new brooms carry on where the others left in limbo

And if the MHCLG take notice of the BPA and IPC, two membership clubs who have more scammers than adverts seen on Youtube

SCRAP THE BPA/IPC and start again before the public are ripped off in the future
 

Le_Kirk

Coupon-mad said:

Yes, I just got an official email:

This email is to update you that the Private Parking Consultation will be extended for 3 weeks, closing at midnight on Friday 26 September 2025.

Now it has been extended, is there any way to "extend" my responses?

Coupon-mad

A family member motorist can of course put in a submission if your family thinks of new points and/or evidence this month.

All motorists are invited to respond, so new things can be added by new motorists.

  

Protest

Norris moving on.

Lesson to others - if you do nothing apart from procrastinate successfully,  the poisoned chalice will be taken away and you can add another ministerial post to your CV.

We can be as passionate and precisely informed as we like but, if we can't shift the Minister/Ministry and generate momentum and actual commitment to sorting out this unholy mess, the ATAs will win. At no personal cost to Minister/Ministry officials, just to the motorists. 

Time for some hard-ball? Whip up a tractor-type protest of cars and vans? 

Coupon-mad

Protest said:

Norris moving on.

Hmm... Alex Norris has been made a minister in the Home Department.

I think that's good news.

I think whoever takes over the parking portfolio will be shocked by the Public Consultation answers.

IT IS UP TO US TO ENSURE THE NEW MINISTER IS SHOCKED ...BUT PLEASE STAY POLITE AND NOT RANTY.

If people (and I mean ALL of our driver friends and family) can be persuaded to just answer three questions in the Consultation NOW IS THE TIME because your points will be heard by fresh ears!

Without putting words into anyone's mouth, the 3 most important questions are:

1 - the one suggesting retaining the £100 cap, regardless of breach. That's an error: in the first iteration of the Code we need proportionality. The levels are a matter of personal opinion but we mustn't see a blurring of the lines between these invoices and actual penalties. MY OPINION: Similar-ish levels yes. But mirroring the LA PCNs regime, no. And not copying the Mayor's excessive London penalties. This isn't about enforcement, road infrastructure or security. These are contract law invoices not fines, so tests of proportionality and fairness apply.

2. - the one about the rip-off £70 add-on, which the industry share between DRA & PPC,  'meaning that the PCN is increased to more than face value. PPCs MAKE MORE MONEY WHEN THEY FAIL TO HEAR DISPUTES. This is surely a matter of public policy to stop it completely.

3. - the question about the IAS and POPLA which - this is a no-brainer - must be replaced by a new, Single Appeals Service which is impartial. The new service must be led by a legally qualified Lead Adjudicator who is used to operating an ADR service.

It must also be staffed by independent persons with integrity and an eye for Code rules and fairness, who are completely unconnected (past and present) to PPCs, DRAs or parking litigating law firms. These assessors must be named on decisions (initial and surname at least) and must have no conflict of interests: i.e. the pool of assessors must NOT be from the same pool of parking claim legal reps who appear for parking firm Claimants at hearings and they mustn't be spoon-fed template 'decision' crap about Elliott v Loake and other irrelevant trash.

Which is what IAS assessors seem to be. It is NOT OK to say 'oh it's fine, they are all solicitors or barristers'. Yes Will H, no doubt they are. I believe that bit! They are jobbing barristers without a pupillage (I've met their type in court). I just don't believe they are impartial. Frankly, the IAS must be killed off.

delabc

What do you think about my point on ANPR? I would recommend that where a site is controlled by ANPR there should ALWAYS be a system of payment after the event. With 95%+ of PCN's being issued for ANPR sites this could cut out a huge number of spurious cases as the motorist would always pay for the exact time they have stayed.