The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) has today published its consultation on ‘Private parking charges, discount rates, debt collection fees and appeals charter’. On first read it appears very positive for the motorist with typical charges halved, …
Private parking consultation – outcome published Read more »
A firm of lawyers is putting together a group litigation, claiming that the DVLA are in breach of the General Data Protection Regulations by selling registered keeper data to private parking companies. Where parking companies wish to issue a parking …
DVLA in breach of GDPR? Read more »
One of Aesop’s most famous fables is that of a man who had a nice little business that produced him a nice regular income. Unfortunately he got too greedy and because of that greed he inadvertently killed off his business. …
The Goose that Laid the Golden Eggs Read more »
For interest, here’s the results of an FOI request to DVLA about which parking companies have been suspended from accessing the DVLA database. As we know, private parking companies require access to the DVLA database to find the keeper of …
FOI: Which private parking companies have been suspended? Read more »
From: Mark In August 2018, we parked in a car park operated by Smart Parking Ltd and paid £5 for 3 hours. We were there for just under 3 hours. A week later Smart Parking sent a demand for £100 …
Beavis not applicable to paid parking case Read more »
I parked in a residential bay in a private carpark run by PCM uk. I displayed a disabled badge as my father was in the car with me. When I returned I had received a yellow sticker that looked very …
Readers’ emails: PCM UK beaten in court Read more »
From: Alexander Hi, I’ve just come out of court after successfully defending a claim from VCS [Vehicle Control Services]. Just wanted to say a quick thanks to you for the information on your site. It has been invaluable. The hearing …
VCS lose again, judge notes they have no case Read more »
Despite the government planning to crack down on private parking companies with the Parking (Code of Practice) Act, they still managed to issue a record number of tickets last year. In the 2018-19 financial year, they issued 6.8 million tickets, …
1 *million* increase in private parking tickets last year Read more »
From: Daniel Just to let you know we won district enforcement ltd v Robinson at Chester Confusing signage which does not state what is short stay as contradicts there signage. We were awarded 200.00 by the judge payable in 14 …
Readers’ emails: District Enforcement lose in court Read more »
From: Mark I have just been to Court with CEL, i won my defence within minutes. The reason was that the signage states a fine of £100 but does not have a brakedown of additional charges,so Judge asked their Barrister …
Readers emails: Civil Enforcement (CEL) fail in couirt Read more »
From: Guy Hi, Where can I find any information/advice re legally how clear car park surface markings/signage should be i.e. Is there a case for appeal if said surface markings are faded/not clear Thanks Hi Guy. I assume you’re talking …
Readers emails: Faded car park markings Read more »
From: [Redacted] Hi I’m enquiring if you have any civil enforcement jobs going I’m an experienced enforcement officer and am looking for a second job doing it I currently work for ukpc and am looking for another 30 hours a …
Readers emails: We’re not the cowboys you’re looking for… Read more »
Case Case No. D8GF2F8Z Claimant – Link Parking Ltd. Defendant – Mr. A Background The PCN was issued at a private block of apartments in Bristol city center. Basically, the property management company temporarily introduced a parking management scheme owing …
Link Parking lose in Bristol (again) Read more »
On Thursday this week the Parking (Code of Practice) Bill Committee met to discuss the new legislation. The parking companies were again torn to shreds by MPs, being described as “rogues, extortionists, scammers, and scoundrels who cannot be trusted to …
Parking (Code of Practice) Bill Committee meeting (Video) Read more »
From: Jason Hi, just wanted to tell you about my experience in small claims in Manchester today. I was being taken to court by Gemini for allegedly parking at Stepping Hill Hospital and not paying for a ticket. I started …
Hospital worker wins court case against Gemini Read more »
From: Darren Hi, I notice that you have some bits on your site about “Double Dipping” and some advise that might help people who have had this scam tried. I recently was double dipped in Sainsbury’s in Kidderminster. I went …
A clever tip to prove you didn’t ‘double dip’ Read more »
From: Robert Hi. Just thought I’d chip in with my case regarding MIL Collections Ltd. Thanks to your website, I decided to ignore all correspondence from these chancers regarding a parking notice debt that they had bought off DRP (debt …
Smart motorist calls MIL’s bluff Read more »
From: Alan I have just successfully defended a case in Bristol CC brought against me by Link Parking. The judge was very critical of them relying on the Beavis case for a car park that is enclosed behind security fencing …
Readers’ emails: Link Parking beaten in Bristol Read more »
From: Scott Hi there, We have an area of our town that has a hospital and two GP practices, but there is no alternative on street parking or other alternatives anywhere near them, even though they are out of the …
GP ‘unhappy with ruthlessness’ of Creative Parking Read more »
From: Jez Hi. Just wanted to say thank you for the information on this site. I fell victim to the Fistral Beach racket twice while on holiday last October. I contested one on the grounds the signage is contrary to …
Readers’ emails: Two Smart Parking tickets, two successfully defended Read more »
From: Ron At your page https://www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/fighting-beavis-argument/ you have a paragraph on “No authority”, which states: “If the leaseholder leases the space, then the management company does not have rights over it to contract in a parking company.” If you are correct, …
Readers’ emails: No defence against cowboy parkers! Read more »
Top tip if you’ve had a ticket from Smart Parking at Fistral Beach. They have a 15 minute grace period, so if your ticket was issued for an overstay of less than 15 they will cancel it. Call them on …
If you’ve had a ticket at Fistral Beach… Read more »
The Information Commissioners Office has just fined Islington Council £70,000 for failing to secure 89,000 people’s data on their parking ticket website. Islington Council internally developed a ‘ticket viewer’ website where ticketed motorists could see details of their contravention, such …
The parking industry continues the demonstrate inability to protect personal data Read more »
From: Susan Hello, I have received two parking fines from Parking Eye. Dated two days apart but for the same alleged offence. To cut a very long story short the vehicle I was driving had a tracker and there is …
Parking Eye ignoring my vehicle tracker data! Read more »
As Parking Prankster noted last week, UK Parking Control (UKPC) has launched a new incentive scheme for their parking attendants. Previously, parking companies rewarded their attendants by issuing bonuses related to the number of tickets issued. From 1st October 2015, …
Defending the indefensible: BPA back UKPC’s new incentive scheme Read more »
From: Adrian Subject: MIL Collections (Truro) I was written to by MIL six months ago claiming a parking debt of £155 was due to them, as the original car park company had sold them details of a vehicle I own …
MIL Collections back down Read more »
Patrick Troy, who was Chief Executive of the British Parking Association until mysteriously resigning in February, received a suspended jail sentence this week for taking ‘up-skirt’ pictures of women on public transport. The BPA’s original press release said he was …
Ex-BPA chief gets suspended jail sentence for outraging public decency Read more »
From: jason hi my question is regarding keeper liability..or driver liablity. i understand PoFa part of it. so ntd given, driver not paid. if after receiving the Notice to keeper, the registered keeper names the driver and gives address to …
Can I be held liable if I name the driver? Read more »
We reported back in September last year that ISPA, the independent scrutiny board for parking on private land, had ceased operating after the resignation of chair, Nicola Mullany. Prior to the resignation there was a public spat with the BPA …
ISPA to cease operating (take 2) Read more »
We recently wrote a piece on the Data Protection Act, and how it applies where keeper data is released to parking companies. Recent case law indicates that if your data is used in a way that breaches the Data Protection …
Are parking companies breaching the DPA for Railways Byelaws tickets? Read more »
…Or not? The Independent Scrutiny for Parking Appeals (ISPA) board announced on 15th September that it would cease operating from 23rd September. Mysteriously that notice has now gone, as has chair of the board, Nicola Mullany, who has resigned according to Parking …
ISPA to cease operating (press release) Read more »
Barry Beavis, of Beavis Vs ParkingEye fame, has recorded this video explaining what private parking charges are and how to deal with them…
When you find a parking ticket on your car, but then you discover https://t.co/FOcjslg8MH https://t.co/MeavD1eUeC — ParkingCowboys.co.uk (@ParkingCowboys) June 16, 2016
UPDATED Looking at the ISPA scrutiny board’s (the board that oversees POPLA) January minutes, I spotted the most incredible insight into the new POPLA service provider, Ombudsman Services. The minutes discuss how Ombudsman Services are building up a backlog of …
The reason POPLA is struggling? Read more »
Last month we wrote about our concern for Wright Hassall being appointed as the BPA’s private parking appeals service provider for the ‘GPEOL 3,500’. In short, these were the 3,500 cases that London Councils stayed pending the outcome of the …
ISPA concerned about Wright Hassall’s independence Read more »
From: Colette Just to say thank you for this very useful and informative site. I’ve have just learned that I have been successful in my appeal to POPLA against a £100 fine imposed by Parking Eye for going 12 minutes …
POPLA win against ParkingEye! Read more »
Earlier this week I heard rumours that a solicitors firm had been appointed to assess the outstanding 3,500 so called ‘GPEOL’ POPLA cases. I was very much surprised at the name of that solicitor, but I will come back to …
Justice for the ‘GPEOL 3,500’ Read more »
Today the Department for Communities and Local Government announced several new regulatory reforms set to be introduced on 6th April 2016. These includes: Amendments to off-street parking legislation will balance the right of land owners to control the use of …
Beavis loses battle, wins war? Read more »
I was sent this interesting video on an experiment to stop people abusing disabled spaces. I think you’ll agree this would be far more effective than sending £100 fines in the post after the event… https://youtu.be/DUfcNNv3g68
From: R Subject: Advice about a parking ticket I have read your comment from “Readers’ emails: Does a parking company need to comply with POFA 2012? Posted on October 27, 2014 by Parking Cowboys. However, I do not really understand …
Does a parking company need to follow the Protection of Freedoms Act? Read more »