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Parking: Children

Asked by Cat EcclesLabourMinistry of Housing, Communities and Local GovernmentTabled Answered 30 June 2025UIN 61700

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps her Department is taking to encourage (a) private car park operators and (b) retailers to ensure that parent and child parking bays are properly (i) monitored and (ii) enforced.

Answered by Alex Norris

Provision of parking spaces and management of parking facilities on private land is a matter for private landowners and parking operators, where those are employed. Whilst private landowners and parking operators can provide dedicated parking bays for parents with children, any rules about their use will be enforced by the retailers themselves or private parking firms contracted to manage these spaces.

Where such bays exist, their misuse can attract a notice of a parking charge of up to £100. However, to issue a notice of parking charge private landowners or parking operators have to be a member of the DVLA accredited parking trade association and adhere to the industry Code of Practice. Among other things, this Code of Practice requires to clearly set out parking terms and conditions on signage within car parks.

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