Conservative Minister Announces 10 Minute Leeway Rule for Car Parking in England

Friday, March 6th, 2015

parking noticeDrivers will get 10 minutes’ grace before being fined if they stay too long in council-owned car parks in England, the Conservative led Government has announced.

The new leeway, expected to take effect later this month, will apply to free and paid-for parking spaces both on streets and in off-street car parks.  It is one of several changes, which include new restrictions on the use of CCTV cars issuing automatic fines.

Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Eric Pickles MP said he wanted to end the “war on drivers”.

The changes include:

  • guidance for councils banning them from “using parking to generate profit”
  • a right for residents and businesses to demand, by a petition, that a council “reviews parking in their area”
  • new powers for parking adjudicators so they can “hold councils to account”
  • protection to stop drivers being fined after parking at out-of-order meters
  • a ban on the use of CCTV “spy cars” except in no-parking areas such as bus lanes and near schools

Mr Pickles said, “We are ending the war on drivers who simply want to go about their daily business.  For too long parking rules have made law-abiding motorists feel like criminals, and caused enormous damage to shops and businesses.

“Over-zealous parking enforcement undermines our town centres and costs councils more in the long term.  Our measures not only bring big benefits for high streets, motorists and local authorities – they put common sense back into parking.”

The changes come from new laws, guidance to councils and use of a statutory instrument, through which ministers can make rules without an act of Parliament.