Burnham vows end to 'rip-off parking charges' under new rules
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Drivers will be given the right to challenge "rip-off" private parking charges and more grace when using private providers under new rules set out by Andy Burnham.
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The prime minister announced the changes after drivers repeatedly raised concerns penalties issued by private providers were too harsh and left motorists unfairly punished.
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In one case, a woman was taken to court in a £1,906 claim after taking longer than five minutes to pay at a car park in Derby. The charge was eventually dropped.
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Private car parks already have an industry code of practice, but the RAC motoring group said the government's changes would protect drivers from the "poor practices of some private parking companies".
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Burnham said: "Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your number plate wrong shouldn't end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat.
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"These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I'm putting a stop to them."
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A guaranteed five-minute period to decide whether to park A 10-minute window to leave without facing a penalty Cancellation of charges for issues drivers can't control, like vehicle breakdowns in car parks Cancellation of charges for honest mistakes such as stopping to check directions, as well as for medical emergencies or broken ticket machines Maximum charges of £20 on appeal for slip-ups like forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle registration, or forgetting to confirm the registration in the machine when parking A freeze on the maximum parking charge at £100, which is the same limit as the current private parking Code of Practice Operators who do not comply risk losing access to DVLA data, making it far more difficult to pursue the car's owner even if they do issue a charge. 'I got fined £11k over a five-minute parking rule' Firm told to pay £10,240 in five-minute parking row Private car parks are different to council-owned car parks and streets.
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RAC analysis of government data showed a record 17 million private parking tickets were issued in 2025-26, a 17% increase from a year earlier.
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With each charge worth up to £100, the data, analysed by the Press Association and the RAC Foundation, suggests drivers could collectively face private parking charges worth more than £4.6m each day.
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The yellow and black envelope of a Penalty Charge Notice, or PCN, is a dreaded sight for motorists returning to their car.
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The AA said some drivers pay up even if they have done nothing wrong, just to avoid the hassle.
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It said people felt they would not get a fair hearing if they appealed against their fines, with many saying they feared legal action.
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The government's Private Parking Code of Practice has been seven years in the making.
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In 2019, an act of Parliament was passed to create a code but the code was withdrawn in 2022, due to "resistance from the private parking industry", according to the RAC.
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The current industry Code of Practice, created by the British Parking Association and the International Parking Community, was introduced in 2024 and updated last year after a review.
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Angela Rayner, communities and housing secretary, told BBC Breakfast that parking "shouldn't be a way of making money, quite frankly". Asked if the changes were an admission that motorists have been "ripped off" by parking companies for years, she said: "We're calling time on it.
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They have regulated themselves and they have their appeals process but we're giving it more meat now."
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Asked why the government has not called for lower price caps on fines, Rayner said: "We've frozen them now and what we're saying is that there is a proportionate response to when people don't follow the rules when they are parking."
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Derek Millard-Smith from the British Parking Association told BBC Breakfast the group welcomed the changes as it would "increase trust". When asked about calls to drop the cost of fines, he said that "deterrents work".
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"We know dog fouling, rail fare dodging, littering - all those levels are around £100 or more because that is a level that is deemed sufficient to change behaviours.
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"What we are trying to do is educate people so they don't do what we don't want them to do."
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The new code will apply in England, Scotland and Wales after motorists said they wanted independent oversight of the private parking industry.
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Both the AA and the RAC said the new code was a good first step but did not go far enough.
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"There is still a huge amount of work to do, such as tackling the scourge of debt recovery fees," said Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA. "Ultimately, we need to stop charges being issued in the first place, especially where the driver has done nothing wrong."
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The RAC's head of policy, Simon Williams, also called for the banning of debt recovery fees and said the current industry-run appeals bodies should be replaced by a single independent one.
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However, he added: "That said, the fact we finally have a code seven years on from the Private Parking Code of Practice Act becoming law is positive.
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"While this isn't quite the Christmas present we wanted for drivers, it should hopefully save many the stress of having to challenge unfair tickets."
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The government said it would be consulting on the issue of debt recovery fees, as well as other recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority.
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Have you been affected by the issues raised in this story?
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Parking rules to change after 'five-minute fines' Parking fee rises could 'desecrate' high streets
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