New Private Parking Code of Practice: Seven Years of Waiting!

How long to introduce a Parking Code of Practice

After seven years of waiting, the Government is finally laying its new Private Parking Code of Practice before Parliament on 20 October. Yet the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 received Royal Assent on 15 March 2019, more than seven years ago!

The code will apply in England, Scotland and Wales.  The key points are:

• Motorists will have their Parking Charge Notice cancelled where they can provide evidence that one of the scenarios set out in the Appeals Charter applies to them. The full Appeals Charter has not been supplied at the time of writing.
• Operators will have to report data on the charges they issue and how appeals are handled, to help raise standards across the industry. This will be scrutinised by a new independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board, giving drivers confidence that the Code is working as intended. The process to set the board up will commence once the Code comes into force.
• Charges will be scrapped on appeal for honest mistakes, e.g. stopping briefly to check directions, and for unforeseen situations such as medical emergencies and breakdowns or ticket machines not working.
• Drivers will get a guaranteed 5 minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends and the right to have charges cancelled on appeal for issues they can’t control.
• Charges will be capped at £20 on appeal for minor issues such as forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle’s registration or not confirming it in the machine when parking.
• The maximum possible parking charge will be capped at £100.

If operators do not comply, they risk losing access to the DVLA records which would mean that they will have difficulty in identifying the registered keeper of a vehicle.

A long and sorry history

I cautiously welcome the long anticipated Code but the original Code was first published in February 2022 and “temporarily” withdrawn in June 2022 following two legal challenges from parking companies around charges.

The government “conceded the legal challenges” and published an impact assessment and consultation regarding appropriate levels of parking charges and additional fees.

It launched a 10-week-long private parking code of practice call for evidence on 30 July 2023, alongside a draft impact assessment. The then Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) call for evidence closed on 8 October 2023. A further consultation ran from July to September 2025 and specifically sought views on parking charge caps, early payment discounts, debt recovery fees, appeals and oversight.

The government plans another consultation in 2027 on whether to reduce or abolish debt recovery fees, currently capped by the industry at £70 on top of the parking charge. I asked the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) why, three years after the call for evidence closed and more than a year after that consultation ended, is another consultation needed in 2027 before deciding whether to reduce or abolish the fees?! What information is still missing, and when will motorists receive a final decision?!

A spokesperson for the MHCLG said:

The Government did not consult on retaining the early discount rate if a motorist goes to second-stage appeal so this is not included in the Code. We intend to include it in the consultation next year.”

We understand the strength of feeling on this and we want to get this right. We’ve already been digging into the evidence including throughout last year, and we’ll launch a consultation in the New Year to find the best way forward.

In the meantime, the £70 cap stays, so motorists are no worse off, and we’ve already banned misleading or intimidating debt recovery letters under the new Code.

Which? comment

Sue Davies, Head of Consumer Rights Policy at Which?, said:

It is particularly concerning that the government has shied away from a £50 price cap to prevent disproportionate charges and an independent appeals body that could rein in the industry’s worst practices. The government has also failed to address widely misused debt recovery fees, which are regularly added without motorists’ knowledge and push unfair charges even higher.

The parking industry must not be allowed to continue marking its own homework. There need to be clear, independent standards that all parking operators must meet that are backed up by an impartial appeals process.”

RAC comment

RAC head of policy Simon Williams said of the Code:

This a step in the right direction to protect drivers from the poor practices of some private parking companies but not the leap we’ve been campaigning for for so long. We’ve long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices (PCNs) and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included which is disappointing.”

The RAC carried out an analysis of the Government’s audit of private parking companies. This showed more reasons for better regulation. Of the 57 companies audited in 2025/26, 40% were rated “red”, indicating potentially serious weaknesses or compliance concerns relating to their use of DVLA vehicle keeper data, while a further 9% were rated “amber”. 17 million keeper records were requested from the DVLA by private parking companies.

Timescales for the Private Parking Code of Practice

I questioned the MHCLG further, asking when the Code would come into force and if operators will have a transition period before all requirements are implemented. She also asked when the independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board would become operational, and when the further consultations on debt recovery fees and the remaining CMA recommendations would open with expected closure and implementation.

A spokesperson for the MHCLG said

The final code will be published towards the end of the year, and operators will be expected to follow it from that date. However, we will allow industry a brief transition period into the new year – so they can adapt to our tougher, higher standards. But we retain the right to step in and take action against any operator unashamedly acting outside of the code during the transition.”

We expect the Scrutiny and Oversight Board to be onboarded in summer 2027.”

Where the Government consulted in 2025 on areas where CMA has made recommendations, we have included measures in this Code. The Government plans to consult on remaining topics next year.

AA comment

Jack Cousens, Head of Roads Policy at The AA, said;

“While this is a good first step, there is still a huge amount of work to do, such as tackling the scourge of debt recovery fees. Ultimately, we need to stop charges being issued in the first place, especially where the driver has done nothing wrong.

“Until now, the balance has always felt in favour of the parking firms. We are hopeful that further measures can be added onto this foundation, offering better safeguards to drivers.”

Public view on parking charges

Which? has today published new research from a nationally representative survey on parking fines: The public’s view on parking fines. (They are not fines, they are invoices from a private company). Key findings include:

• Nearly one in five UK drivers (18%) received a parking fine in the past 12 months.
• Nearly two-thirds (65%) of those fined felt the amount they had to pay was unreasonable.
• Over half (55%) believed their fine was issued unjustifiably, often due to incorrect issuance, poor signage, broken machines, or other circumstances beyond their control.
• Only half (51%) of those who felt their fine was unreasonable went on to appeal, mainly because they expected not to be listened to or feared losing the early-payment discount. Of those who did appeal, seven in ten rated at least one aspect of the process as poor.

Competition and Markets Authority Action

On 16 July 2026, the CMA announced action around appeals handling and additional charges. It signalled an investigation into Euro Car Parks and wrote an open letter to government which made recommendations including:

• preserving the early payment discount through an independent appeal, and for a reasonable period afterwards, where the motorist first appealed to the operator within the discount period.
• requiring operators to request missing evidence before rejecting appeals.
• making correspondence explain cancellation rights and that appeals are free.
• seeking clearer rules on parking time calculations and consideration of wider enforcement measures.

The government’s announcement does not establish whether these protections are included; it says the “remaining CMA recommendations” will be subject to further consultation, without identifying which have been deferred.

Parking charges in Scotland

Currently in Scotland a parking company cannot hold the keeper liable, it is the driver who would be liable for to pay any PCN. This may change under Part 8 of the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 which has not yet been brought into force.

In August 2026 the Scottish Government published a response to an FOI, regarding keeper liabilities.  It confirmed that further secondary legislation was required and that the new UK Government Code would help inform Scotland’s approach.

When I asked the MHCLG it said that Parking Charge Notices may be issued in Scotland and how the code applies in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Government.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said:

The introduction of keeper liability was placed on hold until the new Code is brought into force to ensure private parking standards are maintained. The secondary legislation required to bring this into force will be discussed with Ministers. A public consultation on the secondary legislation will be required to be undertaken, this will be considered following discussions with Ministers. The Scottish Government has been working closely with the UK Government during the development of this Code and will be considering this alongside the secondary legislation.

It confirmed with me that, until the relevant legislation is commenced, private parking companies in Scotland cannot hold registered keepers liable solely because they are the registered keeper, where they were not the driver.

The rise of the parking sharks

RAC Foundation figures show that “A total of 204 parking companies requested vehicle keeper records from the DVLA in the year to the end of March 2026. This compares with 97 firms who bought vehicle keeper records from DVLA in 2016/17.” This means there are now more than twice as many parking sharks snapping at the heels of the poor motorist.

Drivers have waited more than seven years for the protections Parliament promised them. They need to know exactly what will change, and when.

A Code is only as good as a clear system and enforcement. We still don’t appear to have that.”

Appeal Statistics

POPLA’s latest published detailed results covering from 1 October 2024 to 30 September 2025 records 67,680 adjudicated appeals. Of these motorists won 14,578 cases and lost 53,102. In addition, motorists also withdrew 5,020 appeals. POPLA says motorist withdrawals are typically because they have already paid. Parking operators stopped contesting the appeal and cancelled the charge in 34,502 cases. So, the total of charges cancelled was 49,080.

These cancellations raise an obvious question: why did so many drivers have to escalate their complaints to get the charge cancelled?!

We need transparency. Operators and appeals services should publish clear figures showing how many charges are challenged, cancelled and upheld, alongside the reasons. Without that information, how will we know if the new code is working?

Challenging a private Parking Charge Notice

Follow these tips for how to protect yourself and how to complain if you receive an incorrect charge.

1) Keep evidence of payment. All of it! The actual payment, so screenshot a payment acknowledgement, the bank transfer/credit card statement etc. Keep the receipt printed by the parking ticket machine.

2) The firm sending you the charge usually won’t be the landowner, so you could also write to the landowner. If, for example, the landowner is a supermarket you could try a two prong attack and write to the manager of the store as well as to the parking firm.

3) You can appeal on a number of things. Possible defences include: poor signage (take photos as evidence), broken pay and display machine (again take photo at the time with date and time shown), you broke down, there was an emergency, the notice concerns a different vehicle, you were not responsible for the alleged parking event. Additionally, the operator may not have met the requirements for holding you liable or has sent the notice to the wrong person, for example because you sold the vehicle before the parking event.

4) Follow the parking operator’s internal appeal process first. If rejected, follow the instructions for an independent appeal to POPLA or the Independent Appeals Service (IAS), as appropriate, within the stated deadline.

5) Check whether the parking company belongs to the BPA or IPC’s accredited operator scheme. A non-member cannot get your details from the DVLA. If a non-member leaves a notice on your windscreen, seek advice before contacting it. Do not ignore a letter before claim or court papers.

Below is a clip from an appearance on Channel 5 News regarding parking forms. I regularly appear in the media talking about motoring, retails, travel and finance consumer rights and topical consumer issues see Helen Dewdney – Consumer Rights Expert & Media Commentator

Snippet from the Twig podcast on 8 things that should be illegal (and how you beat them!)

 

For more information and how to contact me for speaking and media appearances, see speaker and media page

TIK Tok quick overview of the Private Parking Code of Practice

 

Further help with complaining effectively

See Top 20 Tips on how to complain effectively

 

If you need help with complaining effectively and making sure you are never fobbed off. GET THE BOOK! How To Complain: The ESSENTIAL Consumer Guide to Getting REFUNDS, Redress and RESULTS! Includes information and templates on challenging parking fines and parking charges and templates.

 

 

101 Habits of an Effective Complainer to help you become more skilled and assertive when making complaints.

 

 

 

 

 

Purchase downloadable templates to gain redress including parking template letters.