Private parking code gives drivers five-minute grace period and £100 cap
A new private parking code gives drivers in Great Britain five minutes to decide whether to park, 10 minutes to leave, and capped charges for minor mistakes.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
New private parking code promises grace periods and capped charges
The government has set out a new private parking code of practice for Great Britain, aimed at protecting drivers from what ministers call rip-off charges after honest mistakes. The code gives motorists a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave after their parking session ends.
Under the rules, charges can be cancelled on appeal for briefly stopping to check directions, medical emergencies, breakdowns or broken ticket machines. Small slip-ups, such as entering the wrong number plate or not displaying a permit, can still lead to a charge after appeal, but it will be capped at £20. The maximum private parking fine will be frozen at £100.
The code has been years in the making. Parliament approved a parking code in 2019, but it was withdrawn after legal challenges and resistance from the private parking industry. The new version will be backed by an independent scrutiny and oversight body, and operators that do not comply risk losing access to the DVLA database, which they need to trace drivers and send charges.
Motoring groups welcomed the move but said it does not go far enough. The RAC called it a step in the right direction but not the leap it wanted, and repeated calls for debt recovery fees not to be added to parking charge notices. The AA and RAC also want a single independent appeals service rather than two industry-run bodies. The government says a consultation in the new year will look at whether debt recovery charges should be reduced or scrapped.
The private parking industry said the code should be seen in the context of land management. One representative said parking management is about protecting land rather than making money, and argued that most operators are professional organisations that deal with motorists fairly. The government said a mandated code will make it easier to deal with rogue operators.
Private parking tickets reached 17 million last year, up 17% on the previous year, according to figures cited in coverage. The RAC said each charge is an invoice for alleged breach of contract, not a fine, and that the total has doubled since the 2019 act. The new code is expected to come into force by the end of the year, before Christmas according to the RAC. The announcement is part of a wider government push against everyday rip-offs, including reviews of airline seat fees and airport drop-off charges.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reported by all 3 channels | |||
| Around 17 million private parking tickets were issued last year, an increase on the previous year. | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV | |
| Parking rules will allow drivers five minutes to decide whether to park. | |||
| Reported by a few · 2 channels | |||
| A previous private parking code was introduced after 2019 legislation and later withdrawn following legal challenges from the industry. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by BBC One | Reported by ITV |
| Charges for minor parking mistakes, such as entering the wrong number plate or not displaying a permit, will be capped at £20. | Not reported by BBC One | ||
| Operators that do not comply risk having their access to the DVLA database restricted. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Reported by ITV | |
| Only on one channel | |||
| Private parking charges are invoices for alleged breach of contract, not fines. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | |
| The maximum private parking fine is frozen at £100. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by ITV | |
| The private parking code could be in place before Christmas. | Not reported by Channel 5 | Not reported by BBC One | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
BBC One West treated the code as a straight policy explainer, leading with the injustice of yellow-envelope fines and then walking through the new rights. It gave more room than other channels to the private parking industry's defence and to ministers' claim that an independent body will stop operators gaming the rules. It repeated the 17 million tickets figure and linked the move to a wider government campaign against everyday rip-offs.
- “That dreaded yellow envelope.”
- “This is a step in the right direction, but not the leap we were hoping for here at the RAC.”
- “17 million private parking tickets were issued last year, up 17% on the previous year.”
ITV1 made the story a consumer-rights item and interviewed the RAC's Simon Williams at length. It stressed that private parking charges are invoices for alleged breach of contract, not fines, and pressed the government to go further on debt recovery fees and a single appeals service. Its evening report added a case study and said the code should be in force by the end of the year.
- “This is a good news day for drivers.”
- “it's not a fine it's an invoice for alleged breach of contract.”
- “The government says companies that don't comply will have their access to DVLA held driver data taken away.”
5 News framed the code through a driver's experience, using Debbie's £100 fine for a half-printed registration to show how small errors become threatening bills. It gave more space than the other channels to campaigners' complaint that the changes are limited and do not fix intimidating debt recovery letters. The tone was sympathetic to drivers but still set out the main measures clearly.
- “Sounds good, right?”
- “They've picked the problems which are easy to solve.”
- “The government's new measures are designed to put the brakes on rip-off parking charges, but campaigners say it doesn't go far enough.”
Who was on air
People and organisations each channel put on air while covering this story. Channels' own presenters and reporters are not listed. Names as transcribed, and the list can miss people.
- 13:49 BST
- 13:43 BST
RAC, motoring group
ITV Lunchtime News · Tue 20 Oct - 13:43 BST
Simon Williams, the motoring group's head of policy
ITV Lunchtime News · Tue 20 Oct
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.