Parking overhaul 'not enough to stop profiteering'

Baggy Shanker MP said he had received numerous complaints about the Copeland Street car park in Derby

A Labour MP says government plans to overhaul the private parking sector do not go far enough to tackle "huge profiteering".

Derby South MP Baggy Shanker says parking charge notices (PCNs) should be capped at £50, instead of the £100 in a proposed statutory code of practice that car park operators will have to follow.

He has encouraged people to take part in the government's consultation before it ends at 23:59 BST on Friday.

However, the two trade associations that oversee the industry have disagreed with Shanker, and both want the cap kept at £100.

Rosey Hudson was asked to pay £1,906, but the case against her was dropped following publicity

Shanker and other MPs have been campaigning about parking since the case of Rosey Hudson - who was "fined" £1,906 for taking more than five minutes to pay at the Copeland Street car park in Derby.

The car park is in Shanker's constituency, and he has been contacted by numerous other people who have had similar problems.

"The government has listened and launched a consultation, and made some proposals with lots and lots of good stuff around grace periods, mandatory signing, and tough consequences for rogue operators, but I would like to see that fine cap lowered," he said.

"I really, really welcome the code, and we need to get that in urgently, but the fine of £100 is far too high given the scale of the fines that they issue, and they still stand to make millions of pounds with the amount of fines that they are issuing.

"It's just a huge, huge profiteering exercise for them and that's just not fair."

Statistics published by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) suggest operators are issuing more PCNs than ever before.

Across the 2024-25 financial year, car park operators paid the DVLA for 14.4 million keeper details, which allow them to send PCNs to drivers.

This compares to 4.7 million for the entire 2016-17 financial year.

Ms Hudson told the BBC in November how she was being taken to court by Excel Parking for £1,906 due to its "five-minute payment rule".

The matter was then raised in the House of Commons, where Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson described it as a "five-minute rip-off charge".

The BBC was also contacted by hundreds of other drivers who have had similar problems with Excel Parking, and other private car park operators.

The court claim against Ms Hudson was dropped in December, and the two trade associations for car park operators banned the five-minute rule by changing their own code of practice.

However, MPs including Shanker felt the parking sector should not be left to regulate itself, and called on the government to introduce its own statutory code of practice.

The previous government had published a code of practice in February 2022, but it was withdrawn following legal challenges launched by several parking firms.

The Copeland Street car park in Derby is in Shanker's constituency

The British Parking Association - one of two trade associations that oversee the sector - said it supported a government-backed code of practice, but added a £50 charge was not a strong enough deterrent.

"We would strongly support the government's decision to maintain the £100 cap on parking charges," said Isaac Occhipinti, head of external affairs.

"An effective deterrent is essential to prevent inconsiderate parking behaviour, such as parking in Blue Badge bays, blocking emergency vehicle access, or overstaying in limited spaces, which restricts access for other motorists.

"BPA data shows that even with the current £100 cap, non-compliance is rising, with repeat offenders now accounting for up to 44% of parking charges issued.

"Reducing the deterrent would reward those who flout the rules, not the 99.6% of drivers who park responsibly every day."

The International Parking Community - the sector's other trade association - also said charges should be kept at £100.

In a statement, it said: "Cutting the parking charge to £50 would only reward those who ignore the rules.

"This is about fairness and keeping essential parking infrastructure working."