An expert has explained on the BBC a key parking change which will impact anyone parking in a privately-run car park. From now on no-one should get a fine after taking longer than 5 minutes to pay – however he admitted that some people will get hit with a penalty even if they don’t actually park.
Will Hurley, from the International Parking Community who helped design the guidelines appeared on BBC Breakfast today to explain how it will impact drivers – and what to watch out for. But it emerged on the show that people could still get sent a penalty charge even if they haven’t actually stopped there and left the car. Presenter Sally Nugent said: “So if you drive into the car park. You maybe drive around looking for a space, you don’t get a space and you sit there, you see someone approaching, you might sit in your car waiting for someone and just waiting for a space.
“What’s your deadline then, how does that work?” Mr Hurley said: “Well, the cameras know when you enter, they know when you leave, and so long as you pay for that period of parking, whenever it is that you pay at that particular place, you won’t receive the parkingfine.”
Ms Nugent asked: “So if you’re not in a space and you’re sitting there waiting for however long or what, what happens then?” Mr Hurley said: “Well, so long as you do park, if you don’t park, and if you leave the car park, then of course you’ve not got parking to pay for. But if of course you do park, then pay from the point that you entered to the point that you left, and, and that’s it.”
Ms Nugent added: “So if you’re driving, can’t find a space, you’ve waited perhaps 15 minutes looking for one and then leave, what happens?” The parking expert said: “You, well, you haven’t parked, if you do get a parking charge through the post because. The company thinks that you’ve been there parking, then appeal.” Sally said: “So you still might get charged.” Mr Hurley said: “Not if you’ve paid, absolutely not.”
Ms Nugent asked: “But if you haven’t parked, why would you pay?” Mr Hurley respondedL “If you haven’t parked, then you shouldn’t have a parking charge enforced upon you and ultimately that’s why we have this appeals process.” Ms Nugent asked again: “So you might get charged – if you’d not parked why would you pay?”
Mr Hurley replied: “It’s it’s right that might get charged. Not if you’ve paid.” Sally pressed him if the person hadn’t actually parked there and had been waiting for a space: “But you wouldn’t have parked, so why would you pay?“
He added: “If you haven’t parked, then I would expect that there’s mechanisms in place to identify people who haven’t parked. But if unfortunately that failsafe doesn’t work, then there’s an appeals process that people say, look, I didn’t park.”
One viewer was not impressed, saying on X: “He was really annoying the way he ignored the realistic scenario that Sally kept putting to him. Almost like charging people to NOT park is part of the privateers’ business model.”
Private parking companies have pledged to stop penalising drivers for taking too long to pay. Drivers using private car parks have been handed tickets as their payment was not made within a certain time after their arrival.
In November 2024, the BBC reported that a woman was being taken to court by a private parking company for £1,906 after poor mobile phone signal meant she repeatedly took more than five minutes to pay after entering a car park in Derby. Two industry bodies representing the sector announced their code of conduct will be updated from Monday to provide a “safeguard” when motorists experience delays in making parking payments.
The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) said drivers should no longer be issued tickets for using privately owned car parks where a fixed camera monitors when cars enter and exit, as long as they pay before they leave. The change, which will not apply to council-run car parks or those where wardens are deployed, is being made by a panel established by the industry bodies last month.
IPC chief executive Will Hurley said: “It is crucial that there is a mechanism to identify and resolve issues quickly. I am pleased that the panel has acted swiftly to introduce safeguards for motorists.It is important drivers play their part by reading and following instructions on signage when parking their vehicle.”
BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “It is a real testament to the (panel) that this change has been implemented so efficiently. The parking sector is always striving to ensure it operates in the interest of compliant motorists and to ensure that parking is fairly managed for all. This change is another important step in achieving this.”
Motoring groups reiterated their calls for a legislation-led code of practice to be introduced. AA head of roads policy Jack Cousens said: “This change to the self-authored code by private parking operators only highlights the urgent necessity to implement the Government-backed code of practice alongside a truly independent single appeals process and oversight board.
“Until the statutory system is in place, drivers will continue to receive aggressive letters from shark-like companies that scare people into payment even though they may have done nothing wrong.”
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “This is the latest attempt to make the private parking industry look fair. “As there’s no information on how the change will work in practice, we fear it will make little difference to drivers.”
A Bill to enable the introduction of a Government-backed code for private parking companies received royal assent under the Conservative government in March 2019. It was withdrawn in June 2022 after a legal challenge by parking companies.
This code 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. The BPA and IPC’s own code of practice was introduced in June 2024.