The Private Parking Code of Practice, laid in Parliament this week, freezes the maximum parking charge at £100. Penalties for slip-ups such as entering the wrong registration, forgetting to repeat it or forgetting a permit, will be capped at £20 on appeal.
Motorists will have a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and ten minutes to leave once their session ends. A right to appeal will apply for honest mistakes such as stopping to check directions, medical emergencies, breakdowns, broken ticket machines and other issues outside of their control.
The government has promised to consult next year on scrapping or reducing private parking debt recovery fees.
Prime minister Andy Burnham said: ‘These charges leave people feeling ripped off and out of pocket.’
