London drivers to get new rights to challenge unfair parking fines

Drivers will get new rights to challenge unfair private parking charges, alongside crackdown on car dealers winding back mileages PAMegan Howe, News Reporter1 minute ago COMMENTSNews Briefings

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Drivers in London are set to get new rights to challenge unfair parking charges, including a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park, the Government has announced.

Motorists in the capital and across the UK will be given 10 minutes once their session ends to vacate the car park, under the new Private Parking Code of Practice.

Charges will be scrapped on appeal for honest mistakes, like stopping briefly to check directions, and for situations like a medical emergency, breakdown or broken ticket machine.

For minor offences, such as forgetting a parking permit or entering the wrong vehicle registration, drivers will face a maximum charge of £20 on appeal.

Maximum parking charges will be frozen at £100, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

Speaking on the announcement, Prime Minister Andy 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.

“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off.”

Drivers will get new rights to challenge unfair private parking charges, alongside crackdown on car dealers winding back mileages PAOperators who don’t comply with the code will risk losing access to DVLA data.

This means that even if they issue a charge, it will be more difficult to identify the registered owner to pursue payment.

Meanwhile, second-hand car dealers who wind back odometers – known as car clocking – to disguise a vehicle’s true mileage will also face tougher action, the government has announced.

Fraudulently selling a clocked car is already illegal, but adding it to the official list of banned practices will make it easier for enforcers to crackdown on the practice, which will go some way to protecting buyers and backing honest businesses.

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Minister for Consumer Action, Kate Dearden, said: “Nobody works hard for their money just to be deceived by a dodgy trader, and this is exactly the kind of everyday rip-off this government is going after.

“By making it easier to take action against car clocking, we are protecting consumers’ hard-earned money and supporting businesses that play by the rules.”

The government has also promised to consult on private parking debt recovery fees, including on whether to cut an existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether.

Data shows just under 17 million private parking charges were issued in the UK last year. In 2025, the government set out proposals to improve standards by consulting on a new Private Parking Code of Practice.

Today’s response sets out the measures being brought in to protect motorists. Parliament will now have time to scrutinise the new Code, before ministers press ahead to bring it into force.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the government was going after ‘deliberate scams’ that rip people off, rather than drivers who make honest mistakesPA WireUnder the Code, a fully independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board will be brought in, requiring operators to share more information with the government.

Director of policy for charity IAM RoadSmart, Nicholas Lyes, said: “It is welcome to see new protections put in place for drivers through a single code of practice; however, we would have liked to see a single appeals system and action against debt recovery organisations as part of the package.

“Ultimately, we need to get to a place where parking on private land is a seamless, straightforward, and clear process, not one fraught with potential traps which leaves drivers unfairly out of pocket.”

Alison Tooze, chief policy officer at the British Parking Association, said her organisation “welcomes” the new code, which is an “an important step forward for motorists, communities and responsible parking operators”.

“The code builds on many of the principles already established through the sector’s existing voluntary code, helping create a more consistent, transparent and trusted framework,” she said.

“Overall, the code strikes the right balance between stronger protections for motorists and effective parking management, helping keep communities, businesses and local economies moving,” she added.

Greg Smith MP, Shadow Transport Minister, said: “Andy Burnham posing as the driver’s friend is a joke. This is the same Labour Government that is doubling parking fines right across England. Five minutes’ grace in a supermarket car park will not fool anyone.

“The £100 maximum stays exactly where it is and Labour has ducked banning the debt recovery fees piled on top. Labour’s war on drivers carries on regardless.

“Only the Conservatives, with our Plan for Drivers, will back the people who keep this country moving.”

The new code is expected to come into force by the end of this year.