MPs demand new powers to curb 'rip-off' parking firms after avalanche of complaints
MPs tore into “bullying”, “profiteering” and “intimidating” private parking companies in a parliamentary debate on behalf of hundreds of thousands of furious motorists.
More than 20 MPs - including Abtisam Mohamed of Sheffield - used parliamentary privilege to criticise firms for unfair systems, ratcheting ‘fines’ and damaging struggling high streets.
They demanded a statutory code of practice with lower ‘fines’ and an independent appeals service.
The Westminster Hall backbench business debate was intended to pressure government into re-introducing a code of practice shelved in June 2022 following a legal challenge by parking firms.
The RAC says parking firms are now on track to issue almost 14.5m tickets this year – a 12 per cent increase on last year and equivalent to 41,000 a day.
Abtisam Mohamed, MP for Sheffield Central, said her constituents felt “harassed, penalised and financially extorted” by an industry operating “largely unchecked.”
She said she was “extremely disappointed” one particular parking firm operator in her constituency “had failed to respond” to queries from her office.
She also said the industry’s own code of practice was “not fit for purpose” and firms were using “intimidatory tactics” and “profiteering at the expense of the public” who paid up because they “didn’t want the aggro.”
She went on to recount the story of a constituent who struggled with a payment app at Excel Parking’s Broomhill Rooftop site in Sheffield and received a letter demanding £100 for being “seven minutes late” to pay.
Darlington MP Lola McEvoy highlighted multiple case studies from residents who endured what she called "a truly unacceptable experience for ordinary people."
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Ms McEvoy paid tribute to constituents who shared their experiences, including a man using a wheelchair who was fined after taking more than five minutes to reach the payment machine, missing the narrow time window allowed to purchase a ticket.
Another constituent, Hannah Robinson, received over £11,000 in fines from the same parking company - Excel Parking - despite paying for her ticket each time.
Issues with faulty machines, poor phone signal and unresponsive customer service left her unable to pay within the required window.
Although the controversial "five-minute rule" has since been banned following a campaign led by Ms McEvoy and other MPs, its legacy continues to impact individuals.
One constituent was reportedly blocked from securing a mortgage due to the damage done to her credit score, despite being in full-time employment.
Baggy Shanker, MP for Derby South, said constituents were “fed up with feeling scammed” by faulty payment apps, broken machines and an unfair appeals system.
Catherine Atkinson, MP for Derby North, said: “The only way we can have a fair system is if we have a statutory code. We want to protect drivers from unfair practices.”
Representing the government, minister Alex Norris from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, said he had heard the “rap sheet” clearly set out by MPs.
The code was moving forward at the “best possible pace we can” bearing in mind that in 2022 it didn’t “survive contact with reality.”
He assured MPs there would be a fair and transparent system that does not subject motorists to excessive fines simply for going about their day-to-day lives.
Private parking firms send Parking Charge Notices, which sound similar to Penalty Charge Notices issued by councils and police, they also have the same initials: PCN.
But many argue they are effectively letters demanding money for allegedly breaching terms and conditions written by a parking company.