Code of Practice Talking Points Sara Roberts, head of Conformity Assessment Body, and Sara Fisher, head of operational services and business development, give an update on the Parking Code of Practice Act and look ahead to the AOS Conference he government withdrew its Private Parking Code of Practice, published in February last year, pending a review of the level of parking charge and the debt-recovery fees. As part of this review, it is conducting a regulatory impact assessment and consultation. The BPA has been told by government that it will publish its draft impact assessment in March and, at the same time, open a public consultation. This will give interested parties the opportunity to give feedback and evidence on questions posed about the level of charge and debt-recovery fee. The consultation will be open for 12 weeks. Once it closes, the government will review the responses received, conclude the impact assessment, and publish the outcome of the consultation. This is likely to result in the T publication of its Private Parking Code of Practice later this year. We will give an update on the Private Parking Code of Practice and consultation process in our virtual Approved Operator Conference, which has been moved to April in order for us to better support you (see page 26). We will also share with operators what they can do to contribute to the consultation. We will also covering a number of other topics, including the mandatory training requirements in the Code of Practice and implementation of the Code changes. Please visit britishparking.co.uk/ BPA-AOS-Conference to sign up. Enquiries can be directed to Sara Roberts and Sara Fisher at the BPA at sara.r@britishparking.co.uk and sara.f@britishparking.co.uk New legislation The BPA welcomes the Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 and most of the measures it seeks to introduce, including a single code and appeals service, and a standardsetting body. These measures, coupled with a sufficient deterrent, will strengthen public confidence in the way parking on private land is managed, ensuring spaces are available for motorists, continue to raise standards, and deliver full, independent redress when appropriate. As peoples travel habits return to prepandemic levels, we are seeing a significant increase in the number of cars on Britains roads. Additional demands on parking, much of which occurs on private land because of the expansion of parking at retail and leisure parks and supermarkets, means effective management of these spaces is crucial, to keep businesses and people moving, deal with selfish and antisocial behaviour, and allow us all to safely complete our journeys. 25