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To: Mr Michael Gove, Lord Michael Bichard
Clean up private parking. Clamp the cowboys
The Bill to enable regulation of private parking operators became law in 2019. Regulations were published in early 2022 and immediately challenged by the parking operators. The process is now stalled by judicial review possibly for a further 12 months. The major problem is that some operators use the legal process to terrorise motorists over issues with £2 contract payments. Mr Gove should act urgently to unblock and reissue the Regulations.
Why is this important?
Individual motorists too often find themselves in a situation where a £2 transaction has gone wrong - the machine misoperates or the credit card process says it has worked when it hasn't. The operator begins quasi-legal exercise which quickly ramps up from an initial £100 to £300+. It is a racket that is UK-wide. It is only when people get together that dubious enforcement patterns become visible and the operators can be encouraged to improve their practice.
