Parking Charges

BBC ONE West and 5 reported that the government had announced a new private parking code of practice for Great Britain, giving drivers more rights to challenge fines issued by private car park operators. The measures included a five-minute period to decide whether to park and ten minutes to leave after a parking session ended without facing a penalty. BBC ONE West reported that charges could be cancelled for briefly stopping to check directions, medical emergencies, breakdowns or broken ticket machines, and that the maximum private parking fine would be frozen at £100. 5 reported that smaller errors such as forgetting a permit or entering the wrong registration could still be fined after appeal but would be capped at £20. Both channels reported that operators who did not comply risked restricted access to DVLA data. BBC ONE West said the code had been seven years in the making and that an independent oversight body would seek fair and consistent rules and act as a backstop against attempts to game the system. It reported that the RAC called the changes a step in the right direction but not the leap it had hoped for, and that the RAC had campaigned against debt recovery fees being added to private parking charge notices, citing £70 added to a £100 charge. 5 reported that campaigners said the measures did not go far enough and raised concerns about letters threatening bailiffs and recovery fees. BBC ONE West quoted an industry representative saying parking management was about landowners protecting land rather than making money, that the sector was mainly made up of professional organisations dealing fairly with motorists, and that a government mandated code would allow rogue operators to be dealt with more robustly. On ticket numbers, BBC ONE West reported that 17 million private parking tickets were issued last year, up 17% on the previous year. 5 reported that just under 17 million private parking tickets were issued last year, according to the RAC Foundation, up from 14.4 million and a record. 5 also reported the case of a driver, Debbie, who said she paid 90p for parking but received a £100 fine because the ticket machine printed only half her car registration; she said the new rules only scratched the surface and that letters about fines were threatening and intimidating.

Key Claims by Channel

Claim
Reported by all 2 channels
The government announced a new private parking code of practice giving drivers more rights to challenge fines from private car park operators.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
The new code includes a five-minute period to decide whether to park and a ten-minute grace period to leave after a parking session without penalty.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
The code allows parking charges to be cancelled in circumstances including breakdowns, medical emergencies, briefly checking directions or broken ticket machines, with breakdown fines also cancellable on appeal.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
Operators that did not comply with the new rules risked restrictions on their access to the DVLA database.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
The code applies in Great Britain, namely England, Scotland and Wales.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
The RAC, campaigners and a driver said the code did not go far enough, with concerns about debt recovery fees and threatening letters.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
Reports cited around 17 million private parking tickets issued last year, a record increase on the previous year.	Reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
Only on one channel
The maximum private parking fine was reported to be frozen at £100.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
Minor errors such as a missing permit or incorrect registration could still lead to a fine after appeal, capped at £20.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One
The code had been seven years in the making, with an independent oversight body intended to ensure fair and consistent rules and prevent gaming of the system.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
Parliament approved a parking code in 2019, but it was later withdrawn amid industry resistance cited by the RAC.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
An industry representative said parking management was about landowners protecting land rather than making money, that the sector was mainly professional, and that a mandated code would help deal with rogue operators.	Not reported by Channel 5	Reported by BBC One
A driver reported receiving a £100 fine after paying 90p for parking when a ticket machine printed only half her car registration.	Reported by Channel 5	Not reported by BBC One

This is a cross-channel consensus summary, not an objective account. Consensus can be uniformly wrong, or omit what only one channel covered.