Politics · United Kingdom · 2 hrs ago
New rules promise drivers more protection from private parking fines
Andy Burnham announced new rules for private parking in England, Scotland and Wales.
Drivers will get five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after their session ends without a charge.
Some charges must be cancelled for honest mistakes, medical emergencies, breakdowns or broken ticket machines.
For smaller errors, such as entering the wrong registration, charges will be capped at £20 on appeal, but the overall maximum parking charge remains £100.
Private parking firms issue millions of tickets, and drivers have complained that some penalties are unfair or difficult to challenge.
The new code is due before Parliament, but ministers have not said when it will take effect; firms that break its rules risk losing access to DVLA data.
New rules announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham promise drivers more protection from private parking charges in England, Scotland and Wales.
Drivers will get five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after a parking session ends without facing a charge.
Charges for honest mistakes or circumstances drivers cannot control will be cancelled on appeal, while charges for some smaller slip-ups will be capped at £20 on appeal.
The maximum private parking charge will remain £100, despite calls from Which? to reduce it to £50.
Which? and the RAC said the changes do not go far enough to address some concerns about private parking practices.
- Who
- Prime Minister Andy Burnham announced the rules for drivers and private parking operators.
- What
- A new code of practice will set grace periods and limits or cancellations for some parking charges.
- When
- Announced on 19 October 2026; the code is due to be laid in Parliament on Tuesday, but its start date is unclear.
- Where
- Private car parks in England, Scotland and Wales.
- Why
- Drivers have raised concerns that private parking penalties are too harsh and leave motorists unfairly penalised.
The government
Which? and the RAC
Scope of changes
The government
The government says the rules will introduce clearer protections, grace periods and lower charges for some mistakes.
Which? and the RAC
Which? says the rules fall short of what is needed; the RAC says they are not the leap it had called for.
Maximum charge
The government
The government will keep the maximum charge at £100.
Which? and the RAC
Which? called for a £50 cap.
Other protections
The government
The government says charges will be cancelled for specified honest mistakes and emergencies, and it will consult on debt recovery fees.
Which? and the RAC
Which? called for an independent appeals body and action on debt recovery fees; the RAC called for those fees to be banned.
Legislation on private parking rules was passed.
An official code of practice was unveiled, then withdrawn less than six months later after legal challenges by parking firms.
The British Parking Association and International Parking Community introduced the current industry code of practice.
Burnham announced the new rules.
The new code is due to be laid in Parliament, though its start date is unclear.
- Decision period
- Guaranteed 5 minutes
- Exit grace period
- 10 minutes after a parking session ends
- Maximum charge
- £100, unchanged
- Appeal charge for smaller slip-ups
- Maximum £20
- Which? proposed cap
- £50
- Parking tickets in 2025-26
- Guardian reports a record 16.9 million; BBC reports a record 17 million
3 sources
What people are saying
These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.
It is particularly concerning that the government has shied away from a £50 price cap.
finally have something which could offer them better protections against the worst private parking operators
it wasn't the leap his firm had been campaigning for