Legal Service industry Rohan Krishnarao, head of litigation at BW Legal Services, highlights the work of parking companies, with an example of a recent case involving a private parking operator and a resident who parked in an obstructive manner and caused damage to property he private parking sector came under renewed pressure at the end of last year after a story in the Daily Mail reported on large salaries being paid to owners and leaders of parking management companies. The article, and associated articles in other publications, fail to recognise that 99.7 per cent of parking events result in a seamless journey.* The constant negative rhetoric and misreporting creates a hostile and challenging environment for operators who offer a valued service to motorists and private landowners seeking to ensure such services remain viable. T The 0.3 per cent The case study opposite is the tip of the iceberg in terms of the length some individuals are willing to go to avoid paying for parking. Mr H wasnt just avoiding the charges, but causing damage to property. Parking companies, such as Napier Parking, are appointed by landowners to prevent abuse on private land, which includes motorists parking in resident bays or, like Mr H, parking on pathways that are meant for pedestrians. Even though Napier was successful in court and awarded costs in the instant proceedings, it was only a fraction of what it had incurred through the sheer amount of time it had spent in locating Mr H and in BW Legals time and costs in preparing Napiers evidence and legal arguments. The government and trade associations, such as the BPA, continue to negotiate a clear way forward for motorists and operators alike. However, recognition has to be given for the invaluable service this industry provides to various stakeholders including compliant users, residents, owners of retail parks and private landowners in general and the fact that, if parking sites are withdrawn, this will only add to the inflated costs being faced by all motorists. *Figure from BPA research in 2019 of Approved Operator members using ANPR data from around 3,000 car parks 28