Drivers frustrated as legal challenges delay Private Parking Code enforcement
17 March 2025
A survey by the RAC finds UK drivers are frustrated that the Private Parking Code of Practice, approved five years ago, is still not in force.
Legal challenges from private parking operators and debt recovery companies have prevented the official code from being introduced, leaving 84 per cent of those questioned perplexed.
Other key statistics from the research included:
- 55 per cent felt enforcement of policies by private firms are too heavy-handed.
- 40 per cent said there is no justification for the way they enforce their rules.
- 78 per cent believed private parking companies are only interested in making money from drivers.
- 18 per cent felt private parking operators are necessary to prevent a ‘parking free-for-all’.
- 65 per cent said they understand fines are necessary but that they are excessive or disproportionate.
- 87 per cent said they did not trust the code to be fair to drivers.
Last year, parking authorities in the UK published new sector-wide parking rules which came into force in October 2024.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said, “It’s blatantly apparent from our research that drivers continue to have severe misgivings about the way private parking companies operate and are therefore very frustrated that the official government-backed code of practice has still not been introduced more than five years after it became law.
“While this lack of trust may be partly addressed by the launch of the industry’s own code of practice, we suspect it’s unlikely to be enough as it’s not worded to be in the interest of drivers and, crucially, isn’t backed by law.
“We feel only the introduction of the real, government-backed code will bring much-needed fairness to the entire private parking sector. We badly need an acceptable cap on parking charge notices, along with a cap on debt recovery fees as, in our opinion, both are disproportionate to most parking contraventions. Finally, a truly independent single appeals system is needed for those who feel their initial appeal to the company concerned has not been listened to.”
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