Wrexham MP urging residents to raise their concerns on private parking companies

Wrexham’s Member of Parliament is calling on residents to make their voices heard on private parking companies by participating in the UK Government’s newly launched Call for Evidence.

Issues with car parking at Island Green – operated by Euro Car Parks – have been well documented over the last several years.

Many have chosen to boycott the city centre car park in response to customers wrongly being issued with fines due to reported problems with the pay and display machines.

In June 2021, Sarah Atherton MP launched a parking survey which found that 67 per cent of respondents were dissatisfied with car parking options in Wrexham.

Many respondents said that they would rather go shopping elsewhere, in Mold, Broughton or Oswestry, because of parking issues in Wrexham.

Mrs Atherton has also raised the issue on multiple occasions in Parliament, including on the floor of the House of Commons and during a Westminster Hall debate, and has lobbied Ministerial colleagues to introduce a Parking Code of Practice to protect motorists from unscrupulous activity by ‘rogue’ parking firms.

In February 2022, the UK Government published the Private Parking Code of Practice.

The Code sets out clear rules for private parking firms to follow relating to signage, surface markings and compulsory grace periods, while drivers will have the opportunity to challenge unfair fines via a new independent appeals service.

If private companies fail to follow the Code, they will effectively be banned from issuing parking charges.

After publication, some private parking companies issued legal proceedings and the Code was temporarily withdrawn pending review of the levels of private parking charges and additional fees.

The UK Government has now launched a ‘Call for Evidence’ as part of plans to improve regulation of the private parking sector, with Mrs Atherton inviting anyone interested in this issue to respond in order assist the government’s decision making on this policy area.

Commenting on this issue, Sarah Atherton MP said: “For nearly two years, I have been lobbying UK Government Ministerial colleagues to introduce a Code of Practice to protect my constituents from unscrupulous activity by parking firms.

“Following the launch of this Call for Evidence, I would encourage anyone with concerns about private parking companies in Wrexham to have their say.

“In the meantime, I will continue to push for the implementation of the UK Government’s Code of Practice to crack down on cowboy parking firms.

If you feel that I can be of any additional assistance to you with this matter or indeed any other issues that you may wish to raise with me, please email [email protected] and I will be happy to assist.”

The call for evidence will run until 24th September 2023 and further information on how to respond can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/private-parking-code-of-practice-call-for-evidence.