UK parking enforcement reform after £2,000 fine controversy

UK private parking companies have announced they will revise their controversial ‘five-minute payment rule’, which gives just this short time frame to pay for parking before fines can be issued, following a case where a driver faced nearly £2,000 in fines.

The British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC) are establishing a new oversight body called the Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel (PPSAP) to reform the industry’s code of conduct.

The move comes after widespread media coverage of Rosey Hudson’s case, where she was taken to court for £1,906 in fines after repeatedly taking longer than five minutes to pay in a Derby car park due to poor mobile phone signal. The case was dropped last month (December 2024).

The scale of UK private parking enforcement is significant, with approximately 3.8 million parking tickets issued between July and September 2024 – averaging over 41,000 per day. With fines of up to £100 each, this could cost drivers nearly £4.1 million daily, according to analysis by the Press Association and RAC Foundation.

BPA chief executive Andrew Pester said: “We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.”

The new panel’s reforms are scheduled to take effect by February 2025. While the organizations maintain that “many car parks… are pay on entry” and drivers should “read signage and follow instructions,” they acknowledge the need to protect “genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry.”

Will Hurley, CEO of the IPC, emphasized the industry’s role, stating: “The creation of the Panel shows the commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector. We must not forget the valuable service we provide to ensure the vast majority of people can park when and where they need to.”

The panel will also monitor adjudicator decisions, develop consistent sanctions, and engage with consumer groups and government for a complete code review by April 2025. Current data suggests that over 99.77% of parking events are compliant and free from dispute.

Previous attempts to regulate the industry through a government-backed code of practice, which received royal assent in March 2019 under the Conservative government, were withdrawn in June 2022 following a legal challenge by parking companies.