Parking tickets

You should soon be able to pay for parking across the UK using just one app under new Government plans. The initiative is designed to end "the scramble" to download multiple apps for use at different car parks.

If you park in a private car park, you may no longer be issued a ticket if it takes you longer than five minutes to pay after arriving, thanks to a new voluntary code of practice. But there are gaps in the scheme – and some campaigners say the changes don't go far enough, instead calling on the Government to push ahead with a legally enforceable code of practice.

Private car park operators in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be able to issue parking tickets above £50 in the majority of circumstances, under new rules set out by the Government. The move will cut the value of tickets in half and also push operators to better display pricing policies and their terms and conditions.

The Government has proposed new rules for private parking firms to tackle unfair penalties, including grace periods and new maximum caps for parking fines.

Motorists who enter the wrong number-plate details when paying for private parking tickets will in many cases no longer be 'fined' the full amount, after the UK's largest parking trade body updated its code of practice. But you'll still need to appeal to get the charge cancelled and may still have to pay a reduced charge for "major" mistakes.

Almost six and a half million private parking tickets could be handed to drivers in just 12 months, new figures suggest.

Local authorities are not doing enough to highlight the appeals process to motorists who've been slapped with parking fines, according to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO). Make sure you know your rights if you've been unfairly fined.

The plastic fiver enters circulation today with the Bank of England promising the new note will be a stronger and more secure upgrade on its paper predecessor.

A motorist who mounted legal proceedings against a private parking firm after he was slapped with an £85 ticket for overstaying at one of its car parks has today lost his case at the highest court in the UK. But while the ruling makes it harder to challenge tickets on the grounds of 'excessive' cost, don't despair – it's still possible to fight unfair tickets.