Government urged to act over 'rip-off' parking fines

A group of East Midlands MPs are urging the government to introduce legally binding rules for private parking companies, accusing them of "ripping people off".

Drivers have told the BBC they have been unfairly penalised by companies such as Excel Parking for falling foul of their rules.

Some drivers have faced being taken to court after being fined thousands in costs.

The government said a consultation that would "inform a new legally binding code of practice" would take place "shortly" and pledged to "protect motorists and drive up standards".

The Labour MP for Derby South Baggy Shanker, who called the debate in Parliament's Westminster Hall on Tuesday, told MPs that local people are "fed up with parking companies unfairly pocketing their hard-earned cash".

He named Copeland car park in Derby as a "repeat offender, ripping constituents off, workers and visitors with unfair fines".

He mentioned the case of a Derby man, who had fallen foul of "unclear signage" whilst doing jury service at Derby Crown Court, and subsequently faced a parking fine "in excess of £1,000".

Shanker added: "It is time to say 'enough is enough', and introduce a legally binding code of practice to put an end to these extortionate fines."

Shanker also criticised private parking firms for introducing a voluntary code of practice, accusing them of "setting their own rules and marking their own homework".

The code of practice was published by the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC), the two trade bodies representing private car park operators.

Shanker urged ministers to commit to introducing a legally-binding code of practice for the industry "without any further delays".

Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson praised Derby resident Rosie Hudson for contesting her fine, and welcomed companies introducing a 10-minute grace period, but said "many are put off by the threats of legal action and worried about going to court".

"The only way we are going to have a fair system is if we have a statutory code. We want to protect drivers from unfair practices, plain and simple."

Derbyshire Dales MP John Whitby said residents had told him of tactics being deployed "akin to bullying and intimidation...in order to get them to pay unjust fines".

He mentioned one resident who was fined £170 after it took her too long to figure out how to use a faulty payment machine.

Another had told him the fines "left her feeling particularly stressed, as she doesn't have the money to pay the fine because she's caring for her sick daughter".

Mansfield MP Steve Yemm said there was a "real sense of anger" amongst local people who regularly faced issues with payment apps, faulty machines and "difficulty speaking to a real person" to query wrongly issued penalty charge notices (PCNs).

He praised St Peter's Retail Park in Mansfield, Nottinghamshire, for agreeing to "numerous improvements" after being the source of "hundreds of complaints".

However, he said that he maintained "many, many reservations" about the behaviour of the firms, many of whom he said were "intent on generating as many PCNs as possible" for income.

Responding for the government, junior communities minister and Nottingham North and Kimberly MP Alex Norris said the government would be bringing forward a legally binding code "in due course".

"We are committed to take action to protect motorists and to drive up standards in the private parking industry," he said.

Whilst he would not give specific time frames when pushed by MPs, he stressed that a consultation will be brought forward "shortly".

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