Parking (Code of Practice) Act update The final countdown So much good work has been done on helping to shape the Parking (Code of Practice) Act, and progress has been made. However, there is still some work to do to ensure the legislation works as well as it can for all stakeholders ork on implementing the Parking (Code of Practice) Act began in 2019 and has continued throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. This is important legislation that will set the course for private parking for many years to come. Most of the proposals as they currently stand are uncontroversial and build on the work the BPA has done while evolving its own long-established Code of Practice. However, there are a small number of important, unresolved points on which BPA officers and other stakeholders will continue to press the government over the next few months. W Unintended consequences The single biggest outstanding issue is the level of the parking charge. In its response to the recent public consultation, the government announced its intention to link the private-sector parking charge to local authority penalty charge notices (PCNs). Although the current proposal has a number of layers, the headline is that the discounted parking charge for failing to pay for a parking space would be 25 outside London. Even setting aside the viability of individual operators, and the impact on their staff, the proposed levels simply dont provide a credible deterrent, says Steve Clark, BPA director of operations and business development. The unintended consequences are The unintended consequences are potentially very serious indeed, not just for parking operators, but for landowners and for lawabiding motorists It is very clear that the government will be looking for position on parking charge levels potentially very serious indeed, not just for parking operators, but for landowners and for law-abiding motorists. Next steps Following the commencement of a High Court judicial review by leading operators, the government responded by stating that the proposed parking charge levels did not represent a final decision. It subsequently announced that it will conduct a further technical consultation. Details of the timing and format of such a consultation have not yet been released, but it is anticipated that it will take place this summer. It is very clear that the government will be looking for cold, hard facts to confirm our position on parking charge levels, says Steve Thompson, a parking consultant working on the implementation. We are already working with operators to build a robust evidence base. What we need at this stage is more data from a range of operators large and small to illustrate the consequences of these proposals. Clark added: The potential impact of these proposals cannot be overstated and I would urge members to ensure that their landowners are fully aware of the implications. For the more on the proposals and to assist with providing evidence for the technical consultation, contact the team at aos@britishparking.co.uk 36 britishparking.co.uk PN July 2021 pp36-37 Parking Enforcement.indd 36 25/06/2021 12:19