Private Car Parks to Address 5-Minute Rule Amid Push for Official Code

Parking notice fixed penalties attached to the windscreen of a car on Dec. 29. 2017. Jonathan Brady/PA

Private parking operators will review how to support drivers struggling to pay for parking on time, with a key focus the “five-minute payment rule,” amid growing concerns over the lack of a government-backed code of practice.

Two industry bodies, representing private parking firms, announced on Monday the launch of a new panel to oversee the code practice, adopted by the industry.

It comes after a driver, Rosey Hudson, was being taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906 after she repeatedly took longer than 5 minutes to pay for parking at a Derby carpark.

The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) said that the new panel will urgently review cases where genuine motorists “have difficulty making prompt payment on entry.”

The panel will address issues like the “five-minute payment rule,” monitor adjudicator decisions, enforce sanctions, and work with consumer groups and the government for a full code review by April 2025.

BPA Chief Executive Andrew Pester said the initiative is an “important step in delivering consistency to the oversight” of private parking rules.

“We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise,” he said in a statement.

Industry Code

The private parking sector has been criticised by motorists for “heavy-handed” enforcement policies, including the use of misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

The RAC reported in December that drivers are concerned with the way private parking companies operate.

RAC Senior Policy Officer Rod Dennis told The Epoch Times: “The fact that the private parking industry is already having to review its own code, just months after it was introduced, shows it’s not working in drivers’ interests.

“This is yet another reason why the launch of the long-overdue official Private Parking Code of Practice, that became law five years ago, is very much needed. We fear that without this, drivers who use private car parks will continue to be worse off.”

Frustration is also growing over absence of an official government-backed code of practice. The government’s code was introduced in a 2019 legislation, but temporarily withdrawn in 2022 after several parking firms launched two legal challenges against it.

Private parking operators introduced their own single code of practice in June, which includes a set of rules, such as allowing a 10-minute grace period before handing out fines to drivers.

It also capped parking charges at £100 and reduced them to £60 if paid within 14 days. The code includes an “appeals charter” and provisions for clear signage to help drivers navigate parking on private land.

Calls for Independent Regulation

IPC boss, Will Hurley, said the new panel to oversee the code implementation shows the industry’s commitment to improving its reputation.

However, the RAC has suggested that the industry’s code of practice is “unlikely to be enough” or to “be worded in the interests of drivers.”

Brian Gregory, policy director at the Alliance of British Drivers told The Epoch Times that the move to oversee the industry’s code still meant that the same people were in charge of the regulations.

“We’d like to see an independent parking regulator, not one tie to the parking industry and involved in profiteering from parking fees,” he said.

According to analysis by the PA news agency and RAC, some 3.8 million tickets were handed to motorists between July and September.

The average of more than 41,000 parking tickets a day by private companies could drive the daily cost to drivers up to £4.1 million.

Gregory also suggested that ramped up charges discourage people from parking.

“Motorists drive around, spending more time to find a suitable parking space. This creates more congestion, deterring people from going to town centres. And then the councils are wondering why the high streets are in decline,” Gregory said.

He called on the government to appoint an independent parking regulator to “act in a fair and equitable manner.”

“Roads are an essential part of our economy. If you make it difficult for people to move around, it will affect the economy adversely,” he said.

The government said it will announce plans for a new code of practice “in due course.”

“We know how much of an issue this is for drivers, which is why we will set out further details on the private parking code of practice as soon as possible,” a spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government said.