Both the AA and RAC have welcomed the statutory code of practice – which they campaigned for – but believe it does not go far enough.
For example, the AA believes there needs to be a single and independent appeals process.
“Drivers need to have confidence that when they are making their representations, it’s being heard by an independent body, as opposed to the private parking operators and their trade bodies marking their own homework,” Cousens said.
The AA also believes the government needs to find an alternative to debt recovery fees and charges, which often “spiral” into the threat of court action and County Court Judgments.
This was how Rosey was asked to pay a total of £1,906 for 10 parking charges, and also how Hannah Robinson was asked to pay £11,390.
The RAC shares the same concerns.
“We’ve long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices, and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included [in the code] which is disappointing,” head of policy Simon Williams said.
The government said it was “consulting as soon as possible next year on private parking debt recovery fees, including on whether to cut an existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether”.
Parking campaigner Lynda Eagan, who helped Rosey, is sceptical about how much has changed.
“I’ve been screaming at the TV every time I see someone saying ‘we’ve got these new things’,” she said.
“They’ve tweaked a few things here and there, but it’s not actually going to make an awful lot of difference to people.
“How, when not much has really changed, is that going to reduce the number of PCNs [parking charge notices]?”
In response, a Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson said: “We don’t accept these claims. We’ve introduced a new Private Parking Code of Practice that will have statutory force and independent oversight.
“We’ve introduced significant changes to make life fairer for drivers, including cancelling the £20 charge for circumstances outside a someone’s control like an overrunning medical appointment, and helping motorists get a fairer outcome with strengthened requirements for appeals.”
One thing Eagan is looking forward to is the new oversight board, external, although she is concerned it will not be truly independent.
The AA is more optimistic.
“We are hopeful that it could make some difference to some drivers, and we hope that it stops some of the more spurious claims being stopped at source, but we will be watching,” Cousens said.
