Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of the use of surveillance and enforcement practices by private parking operators to issue charges based on motorists’ movements beyond car parks.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government has not made an assessment of trends in the use of surveillance to issue charges based on motorists’ movements beyond car parks.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what powers are available to local authorities to intervene where private parking arrangements are having a demonstrable negative impact on local businesses, including through compulsory purchase or other mechanisms.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No direct assessment has been made of the potential impact of private parking enforcement practices on footfall and consumer confidence in local high streets. However, the government is aware of motorist frustrations, and in accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, intends to publish a Code which raises standard across the industry and better protects and supports motorists in autumn 2026. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate and support town centre prosperity.
Local authorities have the power to compulsorily purchase land for provision of parking spaces under section 40 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Local authorities also have compulsory purchase powers under the Town and County Planning Act 1990 to acquire land used for private parking to facilitate development or improvements in their areas.
Compulsory purchase powers may be used where efforts to acquire the land by negotiations have failed and there is a compelling case in the public interest. More generally, local authorities have limited direct powers to intervene in private parking arrangements, and do not have powers to regulate private parking enforcement practices or charges. Private operators are self-regulated through membership of the accredited trade associations (the British Parking Associations or the International Parking Community).
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of private parking enforcement practices on footfall and consumer confidence in local high streets.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
No direct assessment has been made of the potential impact of private parking enforcement practices on footfall and consumer confidence in local high streets. However, the government is aware of motorist frustrations, and in accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, intends to publish a Code which raises standard across the industry and better protects and supports motorists in autumn 2026. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, local authorities must ensure that their parking policies are proportionate and support town centre prosperity.
Local authorities have the power to compulsorily purchase land for provision of parking spaces under section 40 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984.
Local authorities also have compulsory purchase powers under the Town and County Planning Act 1990 to acquire land used for private parking to facilitate development or improvements in their areas.
Compulsory purchase powers may be used where efforts to acquire the land by negotiations have failed and there is a compelling case in the public interest. More generally, local authorities have limited direct powers to intervene in private parking arrangements, and do not have powers to regulate private parking enforcement practices or charges. Private operators are self-regulated through membership of the accredited trade associations (the British Parking Associations or the International Parking Community).
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what data his Department holds on the number of private parking charge notices issued annually in England; and what assessment he has made of trends in those figures over the last five years.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The government uses publicly available DVLA Keeper at Data of Event Enquiry (KADOE) data as a proxy for the number of private parking charges issued annually.
The following requests were made for car park management purposes.
Year | KADOE Requests (M) |
2018/19 | 6,905,359 |
2019/20 | 8,557,085 |
2020/21 | 4,507,308 |
2021/22 | 8,564,762 |
2022/23 | 11,052,986 |
2023/24 | 12,772,339 |
2024/25 | 14,381,119 |
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of signage requirements for private parking operators, including where free parking is conditional on visiting specific premises.
Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Parking on private land is managed under contract law. The signage on a site sets out the terms and conditions of the contract, including any conditions attached to free parking, and these are often reflective of the landowner’s requirements. When a motorist parks on the land, they are held to have accepted the contract created through the signage. The Sector Single Code states signage must be designed, applied and maintained to be visible, legible and unambiguous to drivers.
In response to motorist concerns and in accordance with the Private Parking (Code of Practice) Act 2019, the government intends to lay a Code setting out standards for signage in autumn 2026.
Asked by: Alison Griffiths (Conservative - Bognor Regis and Littlehampton)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when his Department and relevant public health bodies became aware of the recent meningitis outbreak; what guidance was issued to NHS bodies, schools, colleges and universities; and on what date that guidance was first communicated to each category of setting.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
Throughout the outbreak, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has worked closely with the National Health Service, educational settings, and other partners. The UKHSA local Health Protection Team was notified of a cluster of cases on 14 March 2026. The team acted immediately, and communication to those at immediate risk took place on 14 and 15 March 2026. On 15 March a letter was sent to all University of Kent students and staff with warn and inform information to ensure rapid identification of symptomatic individuals and provided details on eligibility for antibiotic chemoprophylaxis. Further information is available at the following link:
On 17 March, upon the identification of additional cases, advice was issued to affected schools. Integrated care boards and primary care in hours and out hours trusts were also informed of the evolving situation on 18 March. They were advised about messaging to University of Kent students, and that there were no changes to the national guidance on managing suspected meningococcal disease. They were also advised that if an individual had returned home and not received prophylaxis through UKHSA coordinated clinics this should be prescribed upon request. Guidance for public health management of meningococcal disease can be found at the following link:
In addition, information for education settings in England regarding the meningococcal disease outbreak can be found at the following link:
Information for people on what they need to do is updated regularly on the Meningitis outbreak information hub webpages, at the following link:
https://www.kmhealthandcare.uk/meningitis-information/