A new code for parking

摘要

The Parking Act 2019 stipulates the Government must prepare a code of practice for the operation and management of private parking facilities - currently being drafted by the BSI. In March, the Government responded to the results of its consultation on an enforcement framework for the code, which saw the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) raise 'serious concerns' centred on the Government's 'decision to ignore the need for the parking charge to deter selfish parking'. Both parking trade associations set a voluntary limit of ￡100 on the amount that can be charged for a breach of parking terms and conditions. Higher amounts are available; they just require approval from the trade associations. However the BPA insists that these are basically never granted. 'I have not seen one in 11 years,' says a source. In its consultation response, the Government also proposed limits, although these would be ￡50 (lower tier charge) to ￡100 (higher tier charge] outside London and ￡80 to ￡130 inside the capital - discounted by 50% for payment within 14 days as offered by local authorities. The aim was to mirror the tiered system councils have for penalty charge notices, which is based on the severity of the offence. This proved so controversial that the MHCLG announced in May that it would launch a further technical consultation on the charging issue. It is set to run for four weeks during the summer.