Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to improve sanction processes for private parking companies that repeatedly (a) generate upheld complaints and (b) lose appeals.

The Government is determined to drive up standards in the private parking sector.

The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 places a duty on the Government to prepare a code of practice containing guidance on the operation and management of private parking facilities.

My department recently consulted on the new Code and an accompanying compliance framework for private parking companies. As part of this framework, we are developing an independent Certification Scheme to audit the parking industry’s compliance with the new Code. The scheme will operate as a third-party certification process, whereby only organisations accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service as Conformity Assessment Bodies will be able to certify private parking companies.

Parking operators who fail to comply with the Code risk losing access to Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) data. This data includes information on vehicle keepers, so any company blocked from accessing it would be unable to pursue parking charges.