Major update to hospital and high street car parking charges - but warning issued

Drivers could get relief from unfair parking charges that penalise people on local high streets or in hospital car parksunder a plan launched today.

In a crackdown on rogue private operators’ "misleading tactics and confusing processes", proposals will seek to improve standards across the industry, including clear signage and a mandatory grace period.

Ministers are considering a new rule that would uphold appeals where motorists had no reasonable choice but to breach parking terms, such as if they were delayed at a hospital appointment.

The plans will also apply to health workers, who can equally be victims of poor practices, where their NHS trust uses a private car parking provider at their hospital.

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The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government (MHCLG) said the package of measures will help prevent charges caused by issues like payment machine errors, accidental typos or poor mobile signal. The plans will be hashed out as part of an eight-week consultation - which was launched today - on a legislation-backed code of practice for the sector.

Britain's drivers were handed a record 14.4 million parking tickets by private companies in the year to the end of March, according to PA analysis earlier this week. That was a 13% increase from the 12.8 million during the previous 12 months, and more than double the 6.8 million in 2018/2019.

Each ticket can be up to £100, meaning the total daily cost to drivers may be near £3.9million at the current rate. Some parking businesses have been accused of using misleading and confusing signs, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees.

Companies chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, such as at shopping centres, leisure facilities and motorway service areas.

But AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens suggested the details of the consultation document "will not please drivers" and urged the Government to go further. He said: "A higher cap of £100 compared to the original plans of £50, the retention of debt recovery fees and the inclusion of a £20 so-called mitigation charge does little to offer protection for drivers.

"We urge all drivers to complete the consultation and submit their views and experiences when dealing with private parking firms. If Government can understand the depth of contempt drivers hold against some of these shark-like businesses, maybe it will do more to help innocent drivers."

Royal College of Nursing (RCN) associate director for employment relations Brian Morton, said: “This change may remove some penalties which is a positive step, but it doesn’t alter existing exorbitant car parking charges, nor does it address costs for community staff delivering care in neighbourhoods.

“Nursing staff go to work to treat patients, not to have pennies taken out their pockets by ever increasing parking charges.

“Ministers must go further in addressing parking charges for NHS staff in England." Sharon Wilde, GMB National Officer, said: “This is a good first step in addressing the scandal of health workers being hit by unfair parking charges when going to work.

“It’s bad enough health workers are charged to park at work - but even worse, GMB members are hit with unnecessary fines due to unfair and confusing processes. We are pleased to see efforts to improving standards.

“But we would urge the government to go further in ending car parking fees for staff in hospital settings, something GMB union has long campaigned for.”

Industry body the British Parking Association said in a statement "We believe parking systems must strike a balance: they should deter selfish and anti-social behaviour, but they must also be fair, proportionate and transparent.

"That's why we will continue to work closely with the Government throughout this consultation, to help deliver a code that works for everyone: drivers, communities and responsible operators."

Elsewhere, it was noted that, while the consultation seeks to improve parking standards for some NHS hospitals, it will not do anything to address high parking charges for health workers. Low-paid NHS workers paid more than £70million in parking charges in 2023, NHS data showed in December.

Almost three-quarters of those working in hospital settings have to pay to park at work, according to a survey by GMB union of almost 2,000 of its members last year. The Mirror has campaigned since 2017 for hospital car parking charges to be abolished for everyone - patients, staff and visitors.

Local Growth Minister Alex Norris said: “From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life. But too many people are being unfairly penalised.

"That’s why our Code will tackle misleading tactics and confusing processes, bringing vital oversight and transparency to raise standards across the board. This is another example of how we are fixing the things that really impact people’s day-to-day lives."

A Bill to enable the introduction of a legislation-backed code of conduct received royal assent in March 2019. This code - scheduled to come into force across Britain by the end of 2023 - included halving the cap on tickets for most parking offences to £50, creating a fairer appeals system, and banning the use of aggressive language on tickets.

But it was withdrawn by the Conservative government in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.

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