Burnham puts the brakes on parking fines in the UK

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has announced new private parking rules that cap charges for minor slip-ups at £20.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government laid the new Private Parking Code of Practice in Parliament on Tuesday (20 October), and it will apply in England, Scotland and Wales.

The Code gives drivers a guaranteed five minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends.

Operators must cancel charges on appeal for honest mistakes, such as stopping briefly to check directions. The same applies to medical emergencies, breakdowns and broken ticket machines.

Drivers who forget a parking permit, enter the wrong vehicle’s registration or forget to confirm it in the machine will face a maximum charge of £20 on appeal.

The Code also freezes the maximum parking charge at £100. Operators that fail to comply risk losing access to DVLA data, which would make it far harder for them to identify and pursue a vehicle’s registered owner.

“Being a few minutes late back to your car or typing one digit of your numberplate wrong shouldn’t end with a hefty fine landing on your doormat,” said Burnham.

“We are introducing clearer rules, longer grace periods and lower charges for genuine mistakes, while going after the deliberate scams that rip drivers off,” he added.

Drivers in the UK received just under 17 million private parking charges last year, according to government data.

The government plans to consult early next year on private parking debt recovery fees, including whether to cut the existing £70 cap or scrap the fees altogether.

The Code also creates a fully independent Scrutiny and Oversight Board for the first time. Operators will have to report data on the charges they issue and how they handle appeals.

“Parking should be straightforward, not another everyday hassle,” said Angela Rayner, Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government.

The rules follow a public consultation that ran from July to September 2025 and drew 4,526 responses from the public and industry. Parliament will now scrutinise the Code before ministers bring it into force.

Crackdown on car clocking

The government also announced tougher action against second-hand car dealers who wind back odometers to hide a vehicle’s true mileage.

Selling a clocked car is already illegal, but the government will add the practice to the list of banned practices under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024. It said this will make it easier for enforcers to take action against dealers.

“By making it easier to take action against car clocking, we are protecting consumers’ hard-earned money and supporting businesses that play by the rules,” said Kate Dearden, Minister for Consumer Action.

The measures form part of the Prime Minister’s series of everyday fixes, which has already targeted unfair airline charges, subscription traps, rogue traders and school uniform costs.

Now read: £1,000 fine planned for listening to music or videos without headphones on UK trains