Burnham freezes private parking charges at £100 in rip-off fine crackdown
The Prime Minister has announced a new Private Parking Code of Practice freezing charges at £100, guaranteeing decision and exit grace periods and adding car clocking to the banned practices list.
Drivers will get new rights to challenge unfair private parking charges under a new Private Parking Code of Practice laid in Parliament on Monday, PM Andy Burnham has announced.
The code guarantees five minutes to decide whether to park and ten to leave. Honest mistakes — stopping to check directions, medical emergencies, breakdowns, broken ticket machines — get charges cancelled on appeal. For smaller slip-ups — forgotten permits, wrong registrations, unconfirmed machines — the appeal cap is £20.
The maximum charge is frozen at £100, and non-compliant operators risk losing access to DVLA data, hampering enforcement.
Car clocking will also be added to the banned practices list under Schedule 20 of the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, strengthening action against dealers who wind back odometers.
Burnham said: “Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat. These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket, so I’m putting a stop to them.”
A record 16.9 million tickets were issued by private firms last year, according to the RAC Foundation. The code applies in England, Scotland and Wales under a new independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board, and ministers will consult next year on debt recovery fees, including whether to cut or scrap the £70 cap.
Sources
- GOV.UK, “PM puts the brakes on rip-off parking charges and car scams”, published 2026-10-19T22:32:01+01:00 — https://www.gov.uk/government/news/pm-puts-the-brakes-on-rip-off-parking-charges-and-car-scams
- The Scottish Sun, “New parking rule is announced across UK in crackdown on ‘rip-off’ fines – as 16.9MILLION tickets handed out in a year” — https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/motors/16962298/uk-parking-rule-crackdown-rip-off-fines/
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