In just the first half of the last financial year, car park management companies have made 7.2 million requests to the DVLA for vehicle keeper details. This amounts to approximately 41,000 requests a day and marks a 12% increase in requests compared to the same time last year.
Based on these figures, the RAC have predicted that private parking firms will issue no less than 14.5 million tickets in a year – with just five companies behind nearly half of these penalties.
The RAC has highlighted the removal of the Private Parking Code of Practice in 2022 as a key reason for the rise in parking fines. Stating that private parking companies have not been monitored as intended.
The International Parking Community (IPC) has responded to this criticism, claiming that the increase in parking charges reflects the rise in professionally managed land – which has grown 475% since 2012. The trade body explained that this, coupled with the increase in registered vehicles across the same period, has resulted in more enforcement. The IPC also noted that over a third of parking charges were issued to repeat offenders.
A Code of Practice was issued by the IPC and British Parking Associations in October 2024.
Simon Williams, head of policy at the RAC, said: “Unfortunately, despite legislation being passed more than five years ago to prevent poor industry conduct, the Private Parking Code of Practice has never come into force due to a legal challenge.”
He continued: “Eight in ten drivers we surveyed were frustrated by this, but we know the Government is committed to getting the official code across the line. We believe this needs to happen as quickly as possible, particularly as the number of parking charge notices issued has more than doubled since the law was passed to introduce the code in 2019.”
The RAC has published a guide to help drivers appeal parking charge notices from private companies and the council.
The IPC has also created an advice page on their website.
