Legal clampdown for rogue parking firms

Cowboy parking firms will be barred from obtaining drivers’ details from the DVLA, as part of a legal clampdown on rogue operators.

Private parking companies obtained 5.6 million vehicle keeper records in 2017/18, with the DVLA charging £2.50 for each name and address supplied.

The data is only available to companies that are signed up to either the British Parking Association or the International Parking Community, with each having a set of rules that their members must abide by.  

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, which received Royal Assent today, will introduce a new universal code of practice for all private parking firms in England, Scotland and Wales. There will also be a new independent appeals service that will be designed to make it easier for drivers to challenge unfair fines.

“For too long, some unscrupulous private parking operators have made drivers’ lives a misery with some questionable practices which has sent levels of trust in the sector plummeting.”

The 2019 code of practice will be co-written by the Government and motoring groups and published in the summer. Once in force, it'll introduce strict rules to stop poor signage, extortionate fines and aggressive demands for payment. Private parking firms that ignore the code will be barred from requesting motorists’ information from the DVLA, which will make it almost impossible for them to enforce fines.

Nicholas Lyes, head of roads policy at the RAC, said: “For too long, some unscrupulous private parking operators have made drivers’ lives a misery with some questionable practices which has sent levels of trust in the sector plummeting.

“The code will create more consistent standards across the board which should eliminate dubious practices and create a single, independent appeals process.”