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Wishart welcomes parking shake up
Perth and North Perthshire MP, Pete Wishart, has welcomed news that the UK Government have moved forward with the next phase of the cross-party ‘Parking: Code of Practice’. The UK Communities Secretary has announced today (31st August) that the government will consult on two sets of proposals put forward to tackle the problems of rogue parking operators.
Perth has been particularly badly hit by the sharp practices of the private parking operators and Pete Wishart pledged to have this addressed. He therefore joined colleagues from across the political spectrum to help bring the new code of practice into being through a Private Members Bill.
Proposals included in the code of practice are: a maximum cap for parking fines, a 10-minute grace period before a late fine can be issued and a requirement for parking firms to clearly display pricing and terms and conditions. It is also proposed that motorists will have a single point of appeal and that common issues such as mistyping a digit in a registration plate will be a clear reason for an appeal.
Speaking today (31st August), Mr Wishart said:
“I am delighted that at last we have this new code of practice and it delivers nearly everything we have been asking for in bringing these rogue parking operators to heel. Perth has been particularly hard hit by these companies and I now hope that their reign of misery will now come to an end. This has all come about from MPs recognising that there was a problem right across the UK with this and we have all worked cross-party to ensure it is delivered.
“It is hugely welcome to see that there will be a maximum cap for fines and that the ten-minute grace period will finally be codified in law. I know that my constituents will welcome the creation of an independent appeals system, as people are quite rightly suspicious of the fairness of the current appeals mechanism.
“There are small details of the future code which are currently up for public consultation and I would encourage anyone who wants to call time on rogue parking companies to make their views known.”
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