Private Parking Code a step in the right direction
Following the publication the Government's Private Parking Code of Practice Act, RAC head of policy Simon Williams said:
"This a step in the right direction to protect drivers from the poor practices of some private parking companies but not the leap we've been campaigning for for so long.
"We've long called for the banning of debt recovery fees being added on top of parking charge notices (PCNs) and a single independent appeals body to replace the two industry-run ones, but neither have been included which is disappointing.
"That said, the fact we finally have a code seven years on from the Private Parking Code of Practice Act becoming law is positive. Car park management companies will now have to conform to a new set rules or risk losing access to the DVLA's database which they depend on to issue PCNs to drivers. This will hopefully prevent many drivers wrongly being issued tickets in the first place. There's also a strong indication the code will be toughened as soon as next year to take in recent recommendations from the Competition and Markets Authority.
"While this isn't quite the Christmas present we wanted for drivers, it should hopefully save many the stress of having to challenge unfair tickets."
Press team
