New statutory parking code caps charges at £100 but keeps £70 debt fees

A £1,906 demand for parking she had already paid for put Rosey Greenwood in the path of debt collectors — and her case has now helped produce Britain's first statutory Private Parking Code of Practice, laid before Parliament on Tuesday.

Two years ago, Greenwood parked repeatedly at the Copeland Street car park in Derby. She paid every time and had bank records to prove it. But the car park's terms required drivers to pay within five minutes of entering, and for breaching that rule she was told to pay £1,906 across 10 parking charges.

"I was completely on edge, every single day," Greenwood said. "I had letters coming through - I had debt collectors after me."

She couldn't afford the bill. She was preparing for her wedding and saving for her first home. As she geared up to fight the claim in court, her fiance emailed the BBC asking it to "shed some light" on the case. Derby North MP Catherine Atkinson then raised it in Parliament, calling the charges — which had caught out countless other motorists — a "five-minute rip-off charge." The parking sector subsequently banned the five-minute payment rule by updating its own code of practice.

What does the new code actually change?

The government's code, laid out on Tuesday, sets standards that parking operators must follow. It now faces a 40-day period of parliamentary scrutiny, during which MPs and peers can object before formal issue. It comes into force 21 calendar days from that point.

Housing and communities minister Florence Eshalomi said the code "will give drivers a range of rights and protections to make these unfair practices a thing of the past."

"These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I'm putting a stop to them," Andy Burnham said on Monday.

Much of the code, though, mirrors the sector's existing self-written rules.

• A guaranteed five-minute "consideration period" to decide whether to park — already in the sector's code.
• A 10-minute grace period to leave after a permitted stay ends — also already standard.
• A maximum charge of £100, or £60 if paid within a fortnight — unchanged.
• Charges reduced to £20 on appeal in four cases: a valid permit not displayed, wrong vehicle registration entered, no registration entered at all, or a valid Blue Badge not displayed — the sector's code already said this.
• A £70 debt recovery fee per unpaid charge, plus court fees and legal costs, remains allowed.

Where does the statutory code break new ground?

The government's code states charges should be cancelled on appeal — not cut to £20, as the sector's code allowed — where a driver or passenger falls ill, where a medical appointment overruns, where childcare arrangements cause delays, or where the vehicle breaks down.

Operators who break the rules will lose access to DVLA vehicle keeper data, effectively barring them from issuing charges at all. Theoretically that already applies through trade association membership, but campaigners claim it has never happened in practice; the government insists it will in future. A "fully independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board" will also be created.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy at the AA, said the key shift is authorship: the code is now backed by government, not the parking sector.

"Up until now, the private industry have held the pen on changing the code of practice. Now the pen is firmly in the hand of the government," Cousens said.

Why are the AA and RAC still pushing?

Both groups welcomed the statutory code, which they campaigned for, but say it falls short. The AA wants a single, independent appeals process.

"Drivers need to have confidence that when they're making their representations, it's being heard by an independent body, as opposed to the private parking operators and their trade bodies marking their own homework," Cousens said.

The AA also wants an alternative to debt recovery fees, which often "spiral" into court action and County Court Judgments. That mechanism is how Greenwood was asked for £1,906, and how Hannah Robinson was asked for £11,390.

The RAC shares both concerns. "We've long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices, and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included [in the code] which is disappointing," said head of policy Simon Williams.

The government said it was "consulting as soon as possible next year on private parking debt recovery fees, including on whether to cut an existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether."

Campaigner Lynda Eagan, who helped Greenwood, is sceptical. "They've tweaked a few things here and there, but it's not actually going to make an awful lot of difference to people," she said, asking: "How, when not much has really changed, is that going to reduce the number of PCNs?"

A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson responded: "We don't accept these claims. We've introduced a new Private Parking Code of Practice that will have statutory force and independent oversight."

The two trade associations are reviewing the changes. "Overall, the code strikes the right balance between stronger protections for motorists and effective parking management, helping keep communities, businesses and local economies moving," said Alison Tooze, chief policy officer of the British Parking Association, adding that retaining the £100 charge was a "meaningful deterrent" supporting compliance. The International Parking Community said changes "must remain fair to motorists while staying workable."

The £1,906 claim against Greenwood was dropped after publicity. She has since married and bought a house. "I hope that in the future people won't be so worried or fearful of going into car parks like the one I went to," she said.

With the DVLA data threat now on a statutory footing and a debt-fee consultation due next year, operators face the first enforcement regime they don't control.