A CORNISH MP has welcomed the news that a Private Parking Code of Practice will provide fairer system for private car park users.

As part of a Government crackdown, private car parks will have to display prices more clearly, introduce a fairer system for appeals and give drivers a grace period for lateness.

Under plans announced yesterday (Monday) as part of the Government’s Private Parking Code of Practice, most fines for users of private carparks will be capped at £50 – a figure down from £100 currently - although higher financial penalties will remain for more serious breaches. Operators who do not follow the rules could be barred from collecting fines from motorists.

Steve Double, MP for St Austell and Newquay, said he has campaigned for a fairer and clearer system for private car park users for some time. Welcoming the new rules, he said: “Complaints about certain private parking companies are a regular feature in my inbox and their actions can blight the lives of local residents while also running the experience of visitors to Cornwall.

“There are many excellent locally run private carparks, but these bad apples can damage the industry’s reputation.

“I have long campaigned for a fairer and better regulated set of rules for users of private carparks, having sat on the Bill Committee for this legislation as it came through Parliament and spoken up on behalf of the people who have contacted me in the past.”

“The Private Parking Code of Conduct announced today realises these ambitions, creates a fair and level playing field for the industry, and will protect private car park users from the poor behaviour we have seen in the past.”

Under the proposals, the cap on parking fines in private car parks will fall by 50% in most cases, benefiting millions, the Government says. But higher fines of £70 and £100 will remain for serious breaches, such as parking in Blue Badge bays.

Motorists will get a 50% discount from their fine if they pay within 14 days, as they do with council-issued fixed penalty notices.

The plans, which bring private parking firms more into line with councils, will also mean that:

- Excessive debt collection fees for late tickets, which can be as high as £70, will be banned;

- Parking firms will have to more clearly display pricing and terms and conditions;

- Firms will have to give motorists a 10-minute grace period before they can issue a late fine;

- Parking firms will need to introduce a 5-minute cooling-off period in which a motorist can change their mind about parking.