Motoring industry experts have urged Andy Burnham’s government to end the practice of selling drivers’ information to private parking companies at a low cost of just £2.50 per request. New figures reveal a 17% increase in the number of parking tickets issued by private firms over the last year, sparking concerns about the sector’s regulation.
According to government data analysed by the Press Association and motoring charity the RAC Foundation, private companies handed out a record 16.9 million parking tickets in the year to the end of March. This marks a significant rise from 14.4 million the previous year, and is more than double the 6.8 million issued in 2018/19. The parking industry attributes this growth partly to the expansion in the number of car parks under private management.
A consumer rights expert, Scott Dixon-also known as The Complaints Resolver-told Sky Money that the industry is “out of control.” He highlighted that private companies pay only £2.50 per enquiry to the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) to obtain driver details, which they then use to pursue payments from vehicle owners. Dixon argued, “Enough is enough. Drivers deserve fairness. This unregulated private parking industry is potentially worth over £1.5 billion a year.”
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Dixon found it “hard to believe” that as many as 46,000 motorists intentionally break parking rules daily. He called on the DVLA to increase the fee for accessing driver information to £25 per request and urged the government to implement a robust code of practice to better regulate the sector.
Each ticket can be as much as £100, meaning drivers could be paying over £4.6 million daily in fines. However, private parking businesses have been criticised for confusing signage, aggressive debt collection tactics, and imposing unreasonable fees. Many drivers have reported receiving unfair tickets due to the operation of some payment machines.
A Bill designed to introduce a statutory code of conduct for private parking companies received royal assent in March 2019. This code, expected to be in place across Britain by the end of 2023, proposed measures such as halving the maximum penalty for most parking offences to £50, establishing a fairer appeals process, and banning aggressive language on tickets. However, the Conservative government withdrew the code in June 2022 following a legal challenge from parking firms.
The current Labour government reconsulted on the code, with the consultation period closing in September 2025.
The data analysed reflect the number of driver records obtained from the DVLA by private companies to pursue parking infringements in locations such as shopping centres, leisure facilities, and motorway service stations. These figures exclude council-run car parks.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, emphasised the scale of the issue: “Since Parliament clearly recognised the need to reform the private parking industry, around 76 million tickets have been issued-an average of more than two per vehicle in the country. Andy Burnham has many priorities, but resolving this issue would relieve millions of drivers from a major source of stress.”
A Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government spokesperson stated, “We agree that standards must be raised in the private parking sector. We are committed to implementing a strong Code of Practice as soon as possible to protect motorists.”
In 2025/26, 204 parking management companies accessed vehicle owner records. ParkingEye was the most active, requesting 2.5 million records, illustrating the scale of data use in pursuing parking penalties. The DVLA maintains that the £2.50 fee recovers the cost of providing this information and that it does not generate profit from these transactions.
Isaac Occhipinti from the British Parking Association cautioned against interpreting the increase in charge notices as proof of systemic failure. He explained that the rise correlates with the growing number of professionally managed private car parks across retail, healthcare, residential, and transport sectors, as well as increased parking demand. Enforcement is necessary only in a small fraction of cases where parking regulations are breached.
He also noted that the sector has evolved, introducing its own code of practice in 2024.
Historical data on private parking tickets issued:
- 2018/19: 6.8 million
- 2019/20: 8.4 million
- 2020/21: 4.4 million
- 2021/22: 8.6 million
- 2022/23: 11.1 million
- 2023/24: 12.8 million
- 2024/25: 14.4 million
- 2025/26: 16.9 million