Call for clampdown to halt private parking firms' 'feeding frenzy' that is hurting Sheffield drivers

Lynda Eagan says a proposed new code of practice, lower charges and an independent appeals service are desperately needed to rein the industry in. In March, the RAC Foundation said private parking was set to become a billion-pound a year industry as the number of tickets hit an all-time high.

The government published plans to clamp down on 'rogue parking firms' to protect drivers from 'unfair and extortionate charges' last year - but operators mounted a legal challenge that led to it being withdrawn pending further consultation.

Lynda, who claims to have helped hundreds of drivers over the last seven years, says firms are making hay before the changes come in.

She added: “Parking firms are in a feeding frenzy because they know independent checks and scrutiny are coming. I’m desperate for the sector to be cleaned up, it’s been allowed to get toxic. People make simple mistakes - why should they pay £100?”

The Star has reported on Sheffield-based Excel Parking issuing £100 demands for minor breaches of complex rules at city car parks including mis-typing registration numbers and not paying fast enough, despite the 10 minute deadline not being publicised.

Drivers have also reported struggles with allegedly faulty machines and a sluggish payment app.

In February Excel admitted wrongly issuing £100 tickets at Broomhill Rooftop Parking due to a faulty machine - without saying how many or over what period.

DVLA-approved trade body, Independent Parking Community, said it had investigated and the issue had been “resolved, the technical problem has been rectified, measures have been taken to prevent a similar issue and any payments received as a result of this error have been refunded in full.” The IPC is funded by parking firms including Excel.

The DVLA receives £2.50 from parking companies in return for a driver’s address - worth £25m-a-year. But due to a lack of capacity, it outsources policing the industry to trade bodies, Lynda said.

A Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities spokeswoman said they were determined to create a new private parking code of practice which would bring in a fairer system “with motorists’ interests at its heart.”

She added: “We’re working with industry and consumer groups to introduce the code as quickly as possible.”

Alongside it would be a new independent appeals service to handle second-stage appeals against private parking charges, she added.

Excel Parking did not respond to The Star.

A DVLA spokesman said the £2.50 fee ensured the cost of searches was not passed on to the taxpayer. Accredited trade associations including the IPC have an independent appeal service which has “helped deliver parking arrangements that are fair and equitable to motorists and landowners alike.” And the DVLA “has been assured” its adjudicators are impartial and “not accountable to the parking operator in any way.”

Chris Naylor, IPC membership and operations manager, said: “The International Parking Community is an accredited trade association and the Independent Appeals Service is a certified alternative dispute resolution service provider. Many elements of the IPC’s Code of Practice were included in the Government’s draft proposals – so it is certainly not a code with little value. On the contrary, it has helped to drive up standards in recent years and the IPC is supportive of the government’s development of a unified Code of Practice to further improve consistency and clarity for motorists and landowners alike. That’s hardly a position that can be described as obstructive or “toxic”.

“The main reason for the delayed implementation of the Government’s new Code relates to the continuing and serious rise in anti-social parking and the lack of an effective deterrent – over 30 per cent of parking charges are issued to repeat offenders who consistently ignore parking restrictions and cause inconvenience, disruption or danger to other road users. Yes, the industry did highlight these concerns to the Government, but such views are not restricted to the parking industry itself and have been reinforced by the Dorset police and crime commissioner and other influential figures from the world of politics and business as well as countless homeowners from across the UK.

“It is utter nonsense to suggest the current appeals service is “rigged” or a “free for all” and that there is only a minimal chance of an appeal being successful as your source claims. The strictly regulated appeals process provides motorists with the opportunity to appeal against a parking charge that they consider to have been issued unfairly or in error.

“This provides the opportunity for mitigating circumstances to be taken into account and, if that fails to deliver a resolution, an independent lawyer then considers the case. The real facts speak for themselves - 24 per cent of appealed parking charges are upheld by operators and around 23 per cent of parking charges appealed to the IAS are cancelled either by the operator or by the independent adjudicator. I would argue that it would be very difficult to find a fairer approach to appeals in any other service environment and I feel confident that a unified parking appeals service will further improve consistency and clarity for motorists.

“In a nutshell, the IPC takes a balanced and responsible approach in everything it does. We acknowledge that parking can be an emotive subject, but as we have stated from the outset, fairness, accuracy and responsibility should be the guiding principles on all parking matters – for the 99.77 per cent of motorists who comply with regulations as well as for responsible landowners, homeowners and those tasked with the management of controlled parking areas and no parking zones.”

In Broomhill, shopkeepers have claimed Excel Parking’s ticketing tactics are killing trade because shoppers are “scared” to use the rooftop car park for fear of receiving a £100 fine.