Author Topic: RAC support Sir Greg Knight private members bill that will curb rogue ticketers  (Read 5995 times)

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Offline Web Admin

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Private parking data release surges 64%


Knight rides to the rescue of drivers

A Conservative MP has tabled a bill to crack down on the private parking industry as latest figures from the DVLA show a 64% surge in the number of vehicle keeper records being shared with firms.

Sir Greg Knight’s private members’ bill - Parking (Code of Practice) - aims to end industry self-regulation. It had its first reading in the House of Commons last week.

According to data just published, the DVLA shared 1.74 million records with private parking companies in the first quarter of the 2017-18 financial year.

This is compared with the 1.06 million records released in quarter one 2016-17.

If the release of data was replicated across the remaining three quarters then the annual total would be 7 million, up from 4.7 million in 2016-17.

The records are used by parking companies to chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements of rules in private car parks. The penalty tickets the companies issue are often up to £100 each.

ParkingEye Ltd obtained the largest amount of DVLA data in the first quarter – some 570,000 vehicle keeper records.

Second was Smart Parking – 125,000.

Third was Euro Car Parks – 118,000.

The data suggests that a private parking ticket is now being issued every 4.5 seconds; the equivalent of 13 per minute, 799 per hour and 19,173 per day.

The surge in ticketing comes after the ban on clamping on private land, which came into force in 2012, and two years after the coalition government consulted on possible changes to the private parking industry.

To access DVLA data, parking firms must be members of an accredited trade association. There are currently two of these: the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC).

Both the BPA and the IPC have their own codes of practice and appeals services for drivers.

The RAC Foundation hopes that Sir Greg’s private members’ bill will include measures to:

.end the current self-regulation of the private parking industry
.place more restrictions on the access private parking companies have to DVLA data
.impose a single code of practice for all companies
.outlaw business models that rely on issuing parking charge notices (penalty tickets)

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said:

"These figures are a stark illustration of why Sir Greg’s bill is so badly needed and if there is one piece of legislation which should command cross-party support it is this.

"Self-regulation of the private parking sector has not worked - even many of the big companies acknowledge that - and we are delighted Sir Greg Knight is coming to the rescue with law that will create a single, binding code of conduct, something we have campaigned for over several years.

"Five years after the ban on clamping, private parking has turned into an industry worth hundreds of millions of pounds with many firms relying on enforcement as their only way of making money. No wonder the DVLA is now being inundated annually with many millions of requests for vehicle keeper data so drivers can be sent penalty tickets on often dubious grounds."

ENDS

Contacts:

Philip Gomm – Head of External Communications – RAC Foundation

020 7747 3445 | 07711 776448 | philip.gomm@racfoundation.org | 020 7389 0601 (ISDN)

Notes to editors:

The RAC Foundation is a transport policy and research organisation that explores the economic, mobility, safety and environmental issues relating to roads and their users. The Foundation publishes independent and authoritative research with which it promotes informed debate and advocates policy in the interest of the responsible motorist.

The RAC Foundation is a registered charity, number 1002705.

Bill page on Parliament website:

http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2017-19/parkingcodeofpractice.html

In March 2015 the government issued a call for evidence on the private parking industry:

https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/parking-reform-tackling-unfair-practices

All the Foundation’s work is available on its website:

www.racfoundation.org


http://www.racfoundation.org/media-centre/private-parking-data-release-surges-sixty-four-percent

Offline The Bald Eagle

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The press are having a field day with this. As usual it is sheer greed that has brought us to the point where government are forced to intervene.

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DVLA sells YOUR details to CAR PARK companies chasing unpaid fines, new report reveals

PRIVATE parking companies buy the details of more than 19,000 vehicles each day from the DVLA to help them recoup unpaid fines, it has been revealed.



If you have an unpaid car park fine, the DVLA may have sold your details to a private company, new research has shown.

Between the months of April and June, the DVLA is alleged to have sold 1.74 million vehicle keeper records.

This is an increase over the same period last year.

The information is sold by the DVLA for some £2.50 a vehicle, generating around £1.5million in revenue a month.

MPs warned last night that "bully boy" private car firms use this information to subsequently hound innocent motorists.

Tory MP Sir Greg Knight has tabled a Bill in the Commons to crackdown on the self-regulated parking industry.

He said: ”These figures are concerning.

"It is highly unlikely there has been a massive increase in bad parking.

“Instead bully-boy parking firms are hounding innocent motorists and milking them for money. We need to put rogue firms out of business.

“There are many private parking companies who are playing fair.

“But others are clearly making a killing out of pursuing and persecuting motorists who have done nothing wrong.’

Parking firms are using the information obtained to collect fines of up to £100 from drivers.

ParkingEye, which is owned by outsourcing firm Capita, obtained 570,000 vehicle records in the three-month period, followed by Smart Parking with 125,000 and Euro Car Parks who collected 118,000.

The data suggests that fine is issued every four and a half seconds.

RAC Foundation has suggested that the industry is out of control and warned that the details of around seven million vehicles could be sold during the financial year.

Some drivers have complained that they are being targeted at hospitals or for being just a few minutes late or not being able to buy a ticket.


Car park companies are buying the details for £2.50 per vehicle

MP Greg Knight also warned of a practice called ‘ghost tax’ which is a process of where a warden takes a picture of the car and takes a photo, before removing the ticket so the driver is unaware they were given one.

The firms then wait 14 days before hitting the driver with the increased fine of up to £100.

Fellow Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said: “My concern is that some of these firms use the fines they levy as part of their business model.

“This gives them a strong incentive to levy fines unjustly and aggressively. We would not need a new law if DVLA was more willing to strike off companies suspected of behaving badly.”

A ParkingEye spokesman said to the Daily Mail: “We operate with clear, standard and proportionate procedures which follow the British Parking Association’s code of practice.

“We encourage people who have received a parking charge to appeal if they think they should not have received a charge.”

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/832782/DVLA-parking-fine-tickets-UK
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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Private parking firms pursue 1.7m motorists for fines in just three months - with the help of the DVLA


Parking firms have bought details of 1.7m motorists from DVLA

Steven Swinford, deputy political editor
24 JULY 2017 • 6:53PM


Private parking firms have bought details of more than 1.7million motorists from the DVLA in just three months to pursue drivers for fines.

Newly published figures reveal that the number of requests by private car park firms for information about motorists has risen by 70 per cent over the past year.

Parking companies use the information to chase vehicle owners for alleged infringements in private car parks, sending penalty charges often worth up to £100.

The firms have been helped by the DVLA, which makes more than £1.4million a month from selling motorists' information to firms for £2.50 a vehicle.

It comes after dozens of doctors, nurses and support workers have been left suffering high levels of stress and sickness after a NHS trust authorised a private car park operator to pursue them through the courts over unpaid fines.

There is more to this article that I cannot access.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/24/private-parking-firms-pursue-17m-motorists-fines-just-three/


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Offline The Bald Eagle

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DVLA sells 19,000 vehicle details a day to parking giants chasing unpaid fines as MPs issue warning over 'bully boy' firms

.Information is being sold for around £2.50 a vehicle, making £1.5m per month
.This is then being used by parking companies to chase fines of up to £100
.MPs are calling for a crackdown as trade in information reaches record levels


By James Salmon Transport Correspondent For The Daily Mail
PUBLISHED: 01:19, 25 July 2017 | UPDATED: 01:32, 25 July 2017


Parking firms are buying details of more than 19,000 vehicles a day from the DVLA to chase unpaid fines.

Last night MPs warned that ‘bully boy’ firms are using the information to hound innocent motorists.

They called for a crackdown to protect drivers as it was revealed that the trade in information has reached record levels.

Between April and June the DVLA sold 1.74million vehicle keeper records, up from 1.06million in the same period last year. The DVLA, which sells the information for £2.50 a vehicle, is generating almost £1.5million a month.


Parking firms are buying details of more than 19,000 vehicles a day from the DVLA to chase unpaid fines (file image)

The information is used by parking companies to chase drivers for fines of up to £100.

The most prolific of these is ParkingEye, owned by outsourcing firm Capita – which was exposed by the Daily Mail for using ruthless tactics to collect TV licence fees for the BBC.

It obtained 570,000 vehicle records in the three-month period, followed by Smart Parking with 125,000 and Euro Car Parks with 118,000.

The RAC Foundation said the industry is out of control, with the data suggesting a parking fine is issued every four and half seconds. It warned that the details of around seven million vehicles could be sold during the financial year, which would suggest that almost a quarter of motorists are being chased for a parking fine.

MPs are worried that the information is being widely misused, with motorists unfairly targeted while visiting hospitals and high street shops. Drivers have complained about being fined up to £100 for returning their cars a few minutes late, or after being unable to buy a ticket because of a faulty ticket machine.

Tory MP Sir Greg Knight said there appears to be a worrying rise in a practice known as ‘ghost ticketing’.

This is when a warden puts a ticket on a car and takes a photo. The warden then removes the ticket so the driver is unaware they were given one.

The firm waits 14 days, then hits the driver with an increased fine of up to £100 because they have not paid.


Jacob Rees-Mogg wants the DVLA to srike off companies 'suspected of behaving badly'

Sir Greg, who has tabled a private members’ Bill in the Commons to crack down on the self-regulated parking industry, said: ‘These figures are concerning. It is highly unlikely there has been a massive increase in bad parking.

‘Instead bully-boy parking firms are hounding innocent motorists and milking them for money. We need to put rogue firms out of business. There are many private parking companies who are playing fair. But others are clearly making a killing out of pursuing and persecuting motorists who have done nothing wrong.’

Fellow Tory Jacob Rees-Mogg said: ‘My concern is that some of these firms use the fines they levy as part of their business model.

‘This gives them a strong incentive to levy fines unjustly and aggressively. We would not need a new law if DVLA was more willing to strike off companies suspected of behaving badly.’

A ParkingEye spokesman said: ‘We operate with clear, standard and proportionate procedures which follow the British Parking Association’s code of practice. We encourage people who have received a parking charge to appeal if they think they should not have received a charge.’

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4726790/DVLA-sells-19-000-vehicle-details-day-parking-firms.html
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Offline The Bald Eagle

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Still not heard a word in defence from the pirates at the DVLA... <Piratetreasure>

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SOLD DOWN THE RIVER How YOUR personal details are being sold to private parking firms to hunt you down for unpaid tickets

More than 19,000 private parking tickets issued a day with DVLA selling on records so you can be chased

By Joe Finnerty, Digital Motors Editor
25th July 2017, 11:16 am  Updated: 25th July 2017, 11:33 am


PERSONAL details of 1.74million British drivers have been sold this year to private parking firms hunting down unpaid tickets.

More than 19,000 tickets a DAY are being issued with “bully-boy” companies buying up records from the DVLA to chase motorists.



It’s prompted MPs to call for action on the self-regulated parking industry that’s “hounding innocent motorists and milking them for money”.

Data is used by companies to track down owners for alleged infringement of rules in private car parks and chase fines of up to £100.

And the RAC Foundation revealed a ticket is issued once every 4.5 seconds – the equivalent to 19,173 a day.

ParkingEye Ltd bought the largest amount of records – more than 570,000 in the first quarter of 2017/2018.

Smart Parking collected 125,000 with Euro Car Parks netting 118,000.

The DVLA charges £2.50 per car and generates around £1.5m a month from selling-on details but claims it makes no profit with the fee, stating it is a purely an administrative charge.

To access the data, parking firms must be members of a trade association, either the British Parking Association (BPA) or the International Parking Community (IPC).

The latest figures mark a 64 per cent increase on the same period last year and if the current pace continues more than seven million records will be sold by the end of the year – up from 4.7m in 2016/17.

MP Sir Greg Knight, tabled a private members’ bill, calling for a crack down on rogue business and the introduction of a single code of practice for all firms.

He said: “These figures are concerning. It is highly unlikely there has been a massive increase in bad parking.

“Instead bully-boy parking firms are hounding innocent motorists and milking them for money.

“We need to put rogue firms out of businesses. There are many private parking companies who are playing fair.

“But others are clearly making a killing out of pursuing and persecuting motorists who have done nothing wrong.”

The surge in ticketing comes after the ban on clamping on private land, which came into force in 2012, and two years after the coalition government consulted on possible changes to the private parking industry.

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Self-regulation of the private parking sector has not worked.

“Five years after the ban on clamping, private parking has turned into an industry worth hundreds of millions of pounds with many firms relying on enforcement as their only way of making money.

“No wonder the DVLA is now being inundated annually with many millions of requests for vehicle keeper data so drivers can be sent penalty tickets on often dubious grounds.”

A ParkingEye spokesman said: ‘We operate with clear, standard and proportionate procedures which follow the British Parking Association’s code of practice.

“We encourage people who have received a parking charge to appeal if they think they should not have received a charge.”

https://www.thesun.co.uk/motors/4092732/how-your-personal-details-are-being-sold-to-private-parking-firms-to-hunt-you-down-for-unpaid-tickets/
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Offline DastardlyDick

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Parking Eye obviously didn't understand the question "....follow BPA code of practice". That's the problem you idiots!!
Didn't know that C(r)apita owned PE - they're obviously aiming for Global Domination with all the company's they've bought in the last couple of years.

Offline The Bald Eagle

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Sir Greg is on the warpath again  <Yes!>

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PARK AND SNIDE Drivers win 90 per cent of parking fine appeals against car park operator that buys their details from DVLA

Our findings suggest parking operators try to cash in by handing out tickets frivolously after buying motorists’ names and addresses for just £2.50 each

DRIVERS won 90 per cent of parking fine appeals against a car park operator that buys their details from the DVLA.

Motorists lodged 1,067 complaints about tickets issued by Indigo Solutions, which runs hospital, station and university car parks across the country.


Drivers have saved themselves about £50,000 by appealing parking fines from Indigo Solutions

And drivers won the backing of independent assessors in 961 cases, saving themselves a total of about £50,000.

Another 842 appeals were withdrawn by the motorist or Indigo, which recently won a court case leaving 75 Cardiff hospital staff owing £68,000.

The Sun on Sunday’s findings suggest parking operators try to cash in by handing out tickets frivolously after buying drivers’ names and addresses for just £2.50 each from the DVLA.

Our investigation comes after Tory MP Sir Greg Knight vowed last week to crack down on the “bully boy” operators.

The DVLA released 1.74million personal records between April and June, up by two-thirds on the same period last year.

It charges a total of £1.5million a month for giving out the information.

But our figures show half of all appeals referred to the Parking on Private Land Appeals ombudsman were upheld or withdrawn.

Other firms lost out. Park Direct failed on 62 per cent and Liberty Services 55 per cent.

Euro Car Parks lost on 52 per cent and UK Parking 37 per cent.


Indigo Solutions buys drivers’ names and addresses for just £2.50 each from the DVLA

The figures might have been even higher but operators withdrew thousands more cases before a ruling.

The RAC’s Steve Gooding said: “Drivers might be forgiven for suspecting that some companies are trying it on.”

Sir Greg said: “There are some firms who play by the rules but others are making lives a misery.”

The Department for Communities and Local Government said it was “committed to reforming unfair parking practices”.

It's time to end parking industry's self-regulation


By Sir Greg Knight, Tory MP

MOTORISTS are being ripped off by unscrupulous private parking firms who slap tickets on windscreens often without a second thought.

The thought of returning to your car and seeing a £60 fine left by bully-boy attendants fills us with dread.

Many have just been to visit an ill relative in hospital or popped to the shops, and pay up so the horrible experience just goes away.

Figures earlier this week showed a huge rise in the number of times parking firms asked the DVLA for driver details at a cost of £2.50 a time.

There is no way this can be put down to bad parking alone – leaving many motorists being hounded for their cash.

I am disgusted that companies seemingly build parking ticket charges into their business plan, on top of the parking ticket, suggesting they have targets to reach.

There are clearly some firms who play by the rules, but others are making lives a misery.

The Sun on Sunday investigation shows just how many appeals are upheld or withdrawn once they reach an independent appeals panel.

These big parking firms bear minimal cost for fighting an appeal, but individual complainants often have to spend hours filling in forms to avoid a fine.

As the Parking on Private Land Appeals annual report shows, the process is supposed to look at the issue based on the strength of the evidence, so it is always worth appealing.

In one firm’s case, motorists’ appeals were upheld in nine out of ten cases.This is why I will urge colleagues from across all parties in the Commons to back my private members’ bill to end the industry’s self-regulation.

I want a code of practice containing guidance about the operation and management of private parking facilities that ends the hounding of law-abiding drivers.


https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4129485/drivers-win-90-per-cent-parking-fine-appeals-indigo-solutions/
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