Stockport is home to the much-loved Peel Centre retail park, but I know that far too often shoppers feel their retail experience has been tainted by picking up a fine while parking.
I am aware of other privately managed car parks in Stockport which constituents have raised with me, yet the Peel Centre is a topic that has been recurring in my inbox since my election to the House of Commons in 2019.
In October 2025, I met with the managing company of the Peel Centre car park, Ocean Parking, and the International Parking Community (IPC), which is the quasi- regulator of approximately half of all private parking companies across the country. We discussed the common issues I hear from users of the Peel Centre car park, as well as the implementation of a Code of Practice. See more info here: https://tinyurl.com/bdz7epxe
I have also previously written to the then Minister about the urgent need for statutory regulation of private parking and subsequent industry-wide reform and submitted a Written Parliamentary Question (WPQ) to call on the relevant department for Government scrutiny on rogue parking enforcement companies. See my question and the Minister's answer here: https://tinyurl.com/3pkpr2j6
The Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019 puts a legal duty on the Government to publish a single, statutory code covering how private parking operators run their car parks and chase unpaid charges. The previous Conservative Governments failed in implementing this essential regulation, while thousands of motorists were left struggling with extortionate and unfair fines.
As such, it is brilliant news that this Labour Government has now been able to lay the Code of Practice before Parliament.
Last year, I asked Stockport constituents to share their views in the Government's private parking Code of Practice consultation. The consultation asked motorists for their input on caps on unfair fines, mandatory grace periods and clear signage. Now, we can see these changes are being implemented.
The Government's Code of Practice will give drivers new rights to protect them from unfair private parking charges.
This includes:
Freezing the maximum parking charge at £100 - meaning operators who do not comply risk losing access to crucial DVLA data
Capping charges for small slip-ups at £20. This refers to incidents such as forgetting a parking permit, entering the wrong vehicle's registration or forgetting to confirm it in the machine when parking
Introducing a guaranteed 5 minutes to decide whether to park and 10 minutes to leave once their session ends
The right to have charges cancelled on appeal for issues motorists cannot control
Scrapping charges on appeal for honest mistakes, like stopping briefly to check directions, and for situations like a medical emergency, breakdown or broken ticket machine
I also welcome that the Government has confirmed it will go further still, having committed to another consultation next year on private parking debt recovery fees. The consultation will seek to determine whether to lower an existing cap or to scrap the fees altogether. I will share this consultation again with constituents, and I would encourage everyone to submit their opinions.
This announcement is a vital step to protect drivers from unnecessary costs and will give the average motorist a bit more breathing room and peace of mind. I welcome this step and will continue to push for fairer practices.
Finally I would like to thank all constituents who have contacted me to share their experiences and have made their voices heard on this issue.