Ladies and gentlemen

I’m very pleased to be with you at this important summit today.

And I’d like to thank the British Parking Association for giving me this opportunity to discuss the Government’s plans to improve the way parking is enforced and managed.

We live in a world where more and more vehicles are competing for less and less urban road space.

It’s a fact of life not only in Britain, but in just about every city across the globe.

That’s why the job of managing a modern urban road network needs to be handled by teams of experts …… people with rigorously high standards who can get the best out of our constrained city streets and highways….. who can maintain safety on the network …. who can help police our roads….. who can keep buses, commercial vehicles, and emergency services moving.

And let me be clear. Parking control is an essential part of this process.

Tackling rogue operators

Just like any other sector of the traffic management industry, we need professionals in parking enforcement to maintain the highest standards – to ensure that on one hand drivers abide by the law; and on the other, to ensure that all drivers are treated fairly.

Yet over the years, the reputation of the parking industry has been dragged down by a few unscrupulous people and companies whose only concern is to rip off the motorist.

Time and time again, we read about rogue parking operators who claim they are enforcing the law when really they are acting utterly irresponsibly.

So today I am saying: enough is enough.

Of course where drivers break legitimate parking conditions set by landowners then it is right that penalties are applied. 
But let the message go out from this Summit that the Government will no longer tolerate the unacceptable behaviour of rogue parking enforcers. 

That’s why I will be setting out a package of measures through a cross-Government action plan to weed them out, and put a stop to their activities – and why I am calling on the rest of the parking industry to join our fight.

For example, we are considering how to secure an independent review system for parking enforcement on private land.

And we are looking at how best we can ensure that motorists are aware of their rights under consumer protection legislation.  

These are key issues that we have been discussing with experts in the parking world recently….. and they will be among our priorities as we develop our parking plans over the next few months,. 

We are also taking action to ensure that only reputable enforcement companies have access to DVLA records.

Currently, private companies can request vehicle keepers’ details from the DVLA in order to issue penalty notices for drivers who have illegally parked on private land.

But as of November 23, access will only be granted to members of an accredited trade association – requiring them to abide by a strict code of conduct.

This will close a final loophole which has allowed a small number of rogue parking firms to continue functioning; charging extortionate fines; and preying on the vulnerable.

You will hear more about these changes later from David Evans of the DVLA.

These measures will help us crack down on unscrupulous operators. But we need to go further.

That is why my colleagues at the Home Office are planning to introduce compulsory licensing by the Security Industry Authority to regulate the practices of firms immobilising and towing away vehicles on private land. 

Businesses would have to comply with a code of practice to qualify for a licence.
 
Final details have yet to be confirmed but the legislation is expected to address matters such as:

• Inflated fees for releasing clamped vehicles.
• Operators who tow away and impound vehicles unreasonably quickly after clamping.
• Poor or non-existent signage warning drivers about clamping on private land.
• And introduce an effective complaints process for motorists.

I am confident that this package of measures will help us improve the reputation of the industry and Nick Smith from the Security Industry Authority will set out the licensing plans in greater details later today. 

Improving Council enforcement

But we also need to make sure that the rest of the industry delivers a fair and professional service for the benefit of all road users.

Some local authorities have been enforcing parking for a number of years, but the Traffic Management Act 2004 rationalised and strengthened the framework for local authority enforcement.

This framework was implemented in March last year, and I’m pleased to say that on the whole, it has been successful. We now have some 265 local authorities with civil parking enforcement powers.

We are starting to see improved compliance with parking controls, leading to less congestion, safer roads, and more sustainable traffic management at a local level. 

But there’s no room for complacency. I want to make clear that authorities continue to improve delivery and share best practice to raise standards across the sector.

To assist with this my Department wants to develop a toolkit that will help local authorities measure progress, and set higher standards. My officials would welcome your thoughts on what the toolkit should contain.

It is critically important, for example, that enforcement is fair, and is perceived to be fair, across the network.

Local authorities must communicate the benefits of parking regulations to the public, and how they help deliver a better service to the road user.

Key to that process is the provision of clear information, visible signage, and a user-friendly, accessible approach to customer service.

When people see the disruption that can be caused by just a few illegally parked vehicles, they understand the need for fair and properly-enforced regulations.

And when they see the potential impact on congestion; on local businesses and shops; on ambulances and fire vehicles stuck in traffic, the job of parking operators becomes that much easier.

Conclusion

Ladies and gentlemen, I have only had time today to talk briefly about our plans to improve parking enforcement.

I hope I have left you in no doubt about our priorities.

But I hope you agree that they are not only our priorities. They are yours too. And they are the priorities of motorists, of road users, and of local communities.

Our shared objective must be to put an end to the disreputable operators, and stop them tarnishing the reputation of the rest of the industry – your reputation, and your industry.

Of course I support the BPA’s efforts to legitimise parking enforcement – for example through its Code of Practice and its Approved Operator Scheme.

And I thank everyone here today who has helped deliver a fair and professional service to the public in recent years.

But together, we still have a lot more work to do.

So let’s vow today to root out the rogues, combat the cowboys, and banish the bullies, and put a stop to their wholly unacceptable activities for good.

Thank-you for listening.

(This speech represented existing departmental policy but the words may not have been the same as those used by the Minister.)