PRIVATE car parks will have to display prices more clearly, introduce a fairer system for appeals and give drivers a grace period for lateness as part of a government crackdown reports the BBC.

Most fines in England, Scotland and Wales will be capped at £50 – down from £100 currently – although higher fines will remain for more serious breaches.

Operators that do not follow the rules could be barred from collecting fines from motorists, the government said. 

The AA called the plans “much needed”.

Minister for Levelling Up Neil O’Brien said: “Private firms issue roughly 22,000 parking tickets every day, often adopting a system of misleading and confusing signage, aggressive debt collection and unreasonable fees designed to extort money from motorists.

“[Our] new Code Of Practice will set out a clear vision with the interests of safe motorists at its heart, while cracking down on the worst offenders.” 

Under the proposals, the cap on parking fines in private car parks in England, Scotland and Wales will fall by 50% in most cases, benefiting millions, the government says. The plans do not apply to Northern Ireland.

Higher fines of £70 and £100 will remain for serious breaches, such as parking in Blue Badge bays.

Motorists will get a 50% discount if they pay within 14 days.

The plans, which bring private parking firms more into line with the local authority system for publicly accessible car parks, will also mean that:

• Excessive debt collection fees for late tickets, which can be as high as £70, will be banned 
• Parking firms will have to more clearly display pricing and terms and conditions
• Firms will have to give motorists a 10-minute grace period before they can issue a late fine
• They will need to introduce a 5-minute cooling-off period in which a motorist can change their mind about parking.

The government also said it planned to make it easier for drivers to challenge their ticket if there are genuine mitigating circumstances. 

This could include having a valid ticket but failing to display it correctly, or keying in your number plate incorrectly by mistake at a parking machine. 

For more details, go to

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60282554