UK parking code proposes longer grace periods and £20 appeal cap

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has laid a new private-parking code before Parliament, proposing longer grace periods and limits on charges in England, Scotland and Wales. The code must undergo parliamentary scrutiny before it can take effect, and the ministry has not set an implementation date. Under the proposed rules, drivers would have five minutes after entering a private car park to decide whether to stay, and 10 minutes to leave after a parking session ends. The government says charges could be canceled on appeal for circumstances such as a medical emergency, a vehicle breakdown, a broken ticket machine or a brief stop to check directions. For lesser errors, including forgetting a permit or entering a vehicle registration incorrectly, the charge would be capped at £20 at the appeal stage. Drivers would need to appeal for the protections to apply; the code does not automatically cancel a charge when one of the circumstances occurs. The code retains the existing £100 ceiling on the parking charge itself. It also leaves in place the current £70 cap on debt-recovery fees, which operators may add when charges go unpaid. The ministry plans to consult...