Closed call for evidence

Private parking code of practice: call for evidence

• From: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities
• Published: 30 July 2023
• Last updated: 24 August 2023 — See all updates

Applies to England, Scotland and Wales

Summary

The government is seeking to gather evidence to inform our review of parking charges and debt recovery fees in the private parking industry.

This call for evidence ran from
12:01am on 30 July 2023 to 11:59pm on 8 October 2023

Call for evidence description

The government is running a call for evidence as part of plans to better regulate the private parking sector, including considering options for private parking charges (issued for a perceived breach of a car park’s rules) and debt recovery fees.

The measures considered are part of developing a code of practice, as required by the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, which will ensure greater regulation of the private parking industry.

The call for evidence is examining the effects that could be expected from the code of practice and 5 options relating to parking charges and debt recovery fees to help the decision-making process.

A draft impact assessment on each of the options has been published alongside the call for evidence.

This call for evidence provides an opportunity for anyone interested in this area to assist the government’s decision making on parking charges and debt recovery fees by improving the available evidence. It aims to improve the available evidence and inform government decision-making by:

1. Testing assumptions underpinning the current draft impact assessment.

2. Strengthening the evidence base underpinning the government’s understanding of the implications of the proposed measures.

3. Gathering information to better understand the industry’s current use of parking charges and debt recovery fees so that we can better understand the impacts on different operators.

Once introduced, the private parking code of practice will allow drivers to more easily challenge an unfair parking charge through a new independent appeals service, and all private parking operators will also have to follow the code.

Responses are invited and welcomed from all who wish to respond. Respondents are strongly encouraged to familiarise themselves with the draft impact assessment before responding.

The call for evidence is running for 10 weeks, closing on 8 October 2023, with a further consultation then planned on the options for parking charges and debt recovery fees.

Documents

Private parking charges and debt recovery fees: Call for evidence

HTML

Frequently asked questions

HTML

Draft impact assessment

PDF, 2.22 MB, 90 pages

Published 30 July 2023
Last updated 24 August 2023 + show all updates

1. 24 August 2023

   Added Annex C: Freedom of Information Act 2000.

2. 18 August 2023

   The call for evidence has been extended to 10 weeks, and now closes on 8 October 2023.

3. 30 July 2023

   First published.