Burnham announces new protections against private parking charges
Drivers would get grace periods and new grounds to challenge charges under private parking rules announced by Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced plans for new private parking rules across England, Scotland and Wales, BBC News reported on 19 October 2026. Drivers would get more time to decide whether to park and to leave without a charge, while operators that breach the code could lose access to vehicle keeper data. The BBC did not give a date for the new code to take effect.
The changes concern privately operated car parks, rather than council-owned car parks or on-street parking. They address complaints that drivers face harsh charges for minor mistakes or circumstances beyond their control. In one Derby case reported by the BBC, a woman faced a £1,906 court claim after taking more than five minutes to pay; the claim was eventually dropped.
What the private parking code would change
The BBC reported that drivers would have five minutes to decide whether to park and a 10-minute period to leave without a penalty. Charges would be cancelled in specified circumstances drivers cannot control, including a vehicle breakdown in the car park, a medical emergency or a broken ticket machine. The plans also cover honest mistakes such as stopping to check directions.
For other slip-ups, including forgetting a permit or entering the wrong vehicle registration, the charge would be capped at £20 on appeal. The maximum private parking charge would be frozen at £100. Operators that fail to follow the rules risk losing access to DVLA data, making it harder for them to pursue a vehicle’s registered keeper, the BBC reported.
Burnham said being a few minutes late or entering one wrong digit of a number plate should not result in a hefty charge. RAC analysis of government data, cited by the BBC, counted 17 million private parking tickets in 2025/26, up 17% on the previous year. That volume shows how widely changes to grace periods and appeals could matter to motorists.
Appeals and debt fees remain in dispute
The British Parking Association welcomed the changes but said many of their principles already appear in the existing voluntary industry code. The RAC said the plans fell short of its calls to ban added debt recovery fees and replace industry-run appeals bodies with a single independent body. The government plans to consult on debt recovery fees and other recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority, according to the BBC.
A government consultation published in July 2025 set out the legal background: the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 requires the secretary of state to prepare a code covering the operation and management of private parking facilities, including appeals. That consultation has closed.
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Sources and context
- Burnham vows end to 'rip-off parking charges' under new rulesBBC News
- Private parking code of practice: consultationUK Government, GOV.UK
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.