The private parking sector has pledged to address the controversial five-minute parking rule and fast-track other improvements to better protect consumers.

The private parking sector has said it will fast-track updates to its code of practice to better protect consumers

As reported by the BBC, motorist Rosey Hudson was taken to court last year after accumulating £1,906 in fines for taking more than five minutes to pay for parking in Derby.

Ms Hudson was given 10 parking charge notices in the space of several days after walking away from her car to find phone reception so she could use an app to pay for a space.

Now, the UK’s private parking sector has said its new Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel (PPSAP) will urgently reform its code of practice to protect genuine motorists who have difficulty making prompt payment on entry. The revision is aimed at ensuring fairness for motorists and will come into effect by February 2025.

The parking industry bodies have also said they would also fast-track updates to their code of practice to reflect technological advancements and better protect consumers.

Launched on 1 October by the BPA and IPC, the private parking industry’​s code is intended to raise standards and deliver greater transparency and consistency for the benefit of motorists.

But motoring and consumer groups including the AA and RAC have accused the code of being watered down and falling far short of standards compared to the UK’s official code of practice.

The latter has been designed to clamp down on rogue private parking operators, but is still not in force, despite being backed by legislation five years ago, due to legal challenges from parking companies.

While the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government is working to finally introduce the official code, the private parking sector has vowed to address some concerns with its own code of conduct via the new PPSAP panel. This will regularly review and enhance the code to improve standards for motorists and operators, regularly meet with consumer groups for motorist feedback, and engage with consumer groups and government for a full code review by April 2025.

A survey by the RAC found almost nine in 10 (87%) drivers said they don’​t trust the private parking industry’​s own code to be fair to drivers. The analysis of 1,847 drivers also found that only 2% feel private parking companies enforce rules fairly and that two-thirds believe private parking ‘fines’ are excessive.

Will Hurley, CEO of the IPC, said the creation of the panel “shows the commitment the industry has to improving the reputation of our sector”. And Andrew Pester, chief executive of the BPA, added: “ We want to demonstrate that not only are we serious about raising standards but also making decisive changes to the code when issues arise.”

According to the BPA and the IPC, current data indicates that over 99.77% of parking events are compliant and free from dispute, but the panel aims to build further trust and transparency in the system with elevated standards.

The Private Parking Scrutiny and Advice Panel (PPSAP) will be chaired by an individual who is independent from the sector. Members will be confirmed by 31 January 2025.