Wheel clamping on private land (and towing away) is to be banned by the coalition government. We had a commitment to tackle rogue wheel clampers in the coalition agreement – and now we are able to take this forward.
It falls in my portfolio at the Home Office. Immobilisation has always had a track record of grief and misery. There cannot be an MP in the land who has not had constituents come to them who have been clamped ‘unfairly’. The complaints that have come in to the Home Office are tales of exorbitant fees, abusive behaviour, signage being invisible and so on.
In a recent adjournment debate I recall that examples were given of a disabled motorist being frog marched to a cash point in the middle of a freezing night to get cash to pay the release fee.
Of course, landowners have a right to stop people parking on their land – but no longer by clamping. In Scotland – where clamping was banned nearly twenty years ago (very successfully) landowners either protect their land by barrier methods or introduce ticketing.
Over time, everyone has tried to make this system work – but it just hasn’t. Individuals have had to be licensed – but that hasn’t stopped sharp practise. The latest thinking (before the ban) was to introduce an independent appeals authority – so that aggrieved motorist could appeal the fee etc. But that would cost £2million to set up and thereafter have to be funded by the public through the fees and just perpetuating a flawed system.
Cars that are parked dangerously on private land – for example – blocking the entrance to a hospital or such like will be towed by the police. However, the police powers are for exceptional circumstances only.
This does need legislation and so it will be brought in as part of the Freedom Bill in November hopefully – and then come into force as soon after the passage of the Bill as possible.
Lynne Featherstone 
For: Craig & Plain Talker
In summary; you see the wheelchair and not the person and every Asian being a terrorist and if you would read the treads you will see that landowners and homeowners are against the proposed banning.
Nevertheless; describe how you “Craig” & “Plain Talker” will provide cost effective 24/7 protection as to the following or will you go to ground like; The Rt Hon Ms Featherstone when you are faced with a question that you find disagreeable.
Please Note: ticketing has failed to resolve the problems and it is not possible to gate, barrier or install retractable posts.
1. A small block of flats each with its own allocated parking space, there is no additional parking for residents or visitors. The flats are situated across the road from a busy sandwich shop and other businesses which attract trade from passing vehicles. The shops have no customer parking facilities of their own and parking in the road is insufficient to cope with parking demand, motorists are therefore parking in the residents bays as to its proximity to the shops. The flats’ parking bays are clearly marked along with large signs stating that illegally parked vehicles will be ticketed but this does nothing to help the residents as when one vehicle pulls off another one pulls in and even if you could ticket every vehicle and it paid this would not solve the residents dilemma … they need their parking space.
2. A large residential development in the heart of a city next to the local shopping centre and businesses premises. There are also adjacent properties and restaurants that have no parking facilities at all. Those who have an entitlement to park are issued with permits. The development cannot accommodate unauthorised vehicles and as such vehicles not complying with the parking schemes policies are clamped and/or removed for example if they are parked indiscriminately, dangerously and/or depriving a permit holder from parking. Where do the residents park whilst ticketed vehicles are in situ, these residents often have young children with them and/or heavy shopping to carry, these spaces are their private driveways.
3. The Government has approved the construct ion of a block of flats; the problem is that there are far more flats than parking spaces with some residents having more than one car in the household. All of the spaces have been rented and allocated on a first come basis to which the entitled occupants are complaining about their space being taken by other residents and unknown vehicles that keep appearing, the non authorised parkers are ignoring the parking tickets as there is no lawful way of enforcing the tickets as this is private land and not highways and even if you could enforce the tickets how does this help the bonafide parker who requires their parking space. The visitors and disabled bays are also being abused, vehicles are also double parking and causing damage by parking on the grass verges.
4. Without free patron parking a business is unable to proficiently trade. The issue of a parking charge notice does not remedy matters as the business requires the parking spaces for its customers and livelihood.
Lynne, you may not have seen this warm welcome for the clamping ban from the Consumers Association, Which:
http://conversation.which.co.uk/transport-travel/three-cheers-for-ban-on-clamping/
They say: “this ban on clamping appears to be that rare thing – good news all round. Unless you’re a clamper.” How true this is.
When I bought my flat recently I had to pay an additional £7,000 for a parking space to park my car on the development I now live on.
Does this law mean if someone parks on it I cannot do anything about it?
can’t you buy a collapsable bollard and fix it to the ground to stop people parking in your spot – most are welcoming the ban on clamping not celebrating that honest people will lose their ammenities.
If more people had used the proventative barriers at first rather than employing (or in some cases ignoring them roaming on private property) then the whole clamping issues wouldn’t have become such a scam with so few making so much from so many.
At £7K for a parking spot, isn’t there an entry system to the car park.
I live on a development that has no visitor parking and £300+ removal fees, there is no problem with sinage etc, but £300 is ridiculous. Because it hasn’t been adopted by the council it may still be legally private land, I’m not sure. If there is any grey areas then the bill should include a maximum fee for any clampers of around £100, that would make it far less economical to run those companies and act as a catch all.
Latecomer;
Sadly, if Ms Featherstone gets her way it means you are up the creek without a paddle.
…………………………………………
It is of course noteworthy:
If you don’t want to find your vehicle immobilised – towed away and having to pay a fee its very simple; just comply with the accepted practice of parking lawfully.
For: just_a_fort
It is not always possible to gate, barrier or install retractable posts for the following reasons;
a. The landowners have no funding
b. The development is gated but people keep letting their friends and family in. The turnover of tenants makes it impossible to keep changing the gates key fob frequency and/or gate code
c. where do I park whilst the illegally parked vehicle is in my space
d. there is no tangible way to install gate(s), barrier(s) or parking posts
e. in order to fit a gate(s) barrier(s) the landowner needs planning permission which has been refused on the grounds that the application would cause an obstruction to the highways as vehicles would have to stop in the road and wait for the gate or barrier to open
f. the area is a right-of-way and others have access over it and as such gates and barriers are prohibited, retractable posts cannot be fitted as parking is not allocated
g. retractable posts are extremely prone to vandalism making them impractical, they are also cumbersome and not user friendly to the disabled – people have also tripped over them leading to personal injury claims against the landowner, motorists are also renowned for driving into the posts making them inoperable and a liability
It is possible for the illegal parker to comply with the accepted practice of parking lawfully ,however.
Q. For Lynne direct
Have you abandoned us like and illegally parked vehicle or is it that you find the questions unpalatable.
If you have not abandoned us please reply to the following:
1 September 2010 at 10:40 pm
2 September 2010 at 10:53 am
Lynne
Is the Government going to ban the following businesses and institutions because of the rogue element(s).
• Parliament (Expense Scandal) not over the last two decades but over
centuries
• Banks
• The Building Industry
• Plumbers
• Gas Boiler Engineers
• Mechanics (Motor Trade]
• The Police Force (Rogue Police Officers)
• Doctors
• The Councils
• Charity Organisations
• Oil Companies
• The BBC (licensing)
• DVLA (you tax a vehicle prior to the end of the month but have to pay or all
of the previous month)
The list goes on …… perhaps others would like to carry on
I just called the company that looks after our development and asked if they are going to do anything, it appears when the development was built the council would not grant permission for a ‘Gated Community’ it had to be all ‘open plan’ and we are not allowed to install posts in front of our parking space….
Lynne can you tell us what we are supposed to do please?
Livingintherealworld. Livinginafantasyworld more like. A fantasy that wheel clamping, which has been shown time after time to be the most pernicious industry full of bullying and extortion, could continue in any form. Those actually living in the real will warmly welcome the clamping ban and the freedom from legal extortionists that it entails. Those who have something to lose will obviously not. But attempting to big up the parking issues to suggest chaos will ensue is just ridiculous and convinces no-one. The same prophecies of doom were made before the ban in Scotland and what happened there? Nothing, except ordinary people were able to go about their business without being extorted by thugs. Lynne is no doubt keeping a dignified silence because it is all too obvious to see that many of the clamping supporters have only one solution in mind – the retention of clamping. That will never happen, the total ban is the absolute right and the only solution and it can’t come quickly enough.
Droppingin
Enlighten us with your wisdom by answer the parking quandary questions above
Fantasyworlddweller, the answer to the parking quandary is that there is no quandary. Just a totally hyped nonsense scenario that shows clampers as whiners and bad losers. They cannot accept that the end is nigh and take it like the big men they are when extorting from some defenceless person. Barriers, posts, chains, it doesn’t matter what is suggested, the fools come up with some ridiculous reason why it will not work. Lynne and the rest of us all know that it is all bullshit, that Scotland coped without any problems and there will be no problems here just as there were none before clamping pretended to generate some to justify robbery, but the nonsense keeps coming.
Look at Lynne’s statement yesterday. Did the morons on here threatening to park on her drive and coming up with all sorts of stupid scenarios about future chaos change her mind? Not a jot. These bozos have proably made her even more determined to see them off. And rightly so. Not that you would expect anything better from the clamping brigade, subtlety and brainpower being alien characteristics.
I bet if you got a puncture you would think that the tyre is only flat at the bottom.
God bless you Mind speaker you made you made my day
Mind speaker
How did you come to your conclusion?
. Guessed
. Wrote it out on paper
. In my head
Anyone in any doubt about why this insidious practice is being ended need only look here:
http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/local_news/8374417.Clamping_firm_in_an_offensive_outburst_to_fined_motorist/
Same old story. No visible signs. No appeal. Same old abusive thugs.
Not before time these characters are being taken off our streets.
Lynne, you have previously rightly said that many clampers operate a form of entrapment and this is absolutely right. Take the following invitation which appears on a number of clampers’ websites:
“Vacant Sites Wanted
[company name] are always interested in renting / leasing car parks, parking spaces and vacant land in town centre locations.
Such sites may be abandoned sites or areas whilst planning consent is being sought or even vacant office blocks waiting for tenants.
We offer many types of schemes ranging from outright purchase/lease, through to split revenue contracts.”
Hmm. Vacant land, abandoned sites, areas awaiting planning consent, vacant office blocks. In other words sites with no current parking pressure that the clampers can acquire and make money out of.
This type of request shows the clampers arguments that they are only performing a necessary public service to deter unauthorised parking to be a load of old tosh. It appears that they are actively seeking out vacant sites that cannot have any parking management issues at all, presumably in the hope that they can clamp people who believe the vacant lots are areas of free parking. And indeed the numbers of people posting on consumer sites about being clamped on just such vacant sites are legion.
This goes right to the heart of why clamping has to be banned. The real purpose of clamping always was and is money making on an extortionate scale and never the management of unauthorised parking issues.
You know I am totally fed up with the arguments from the Anti-Clamping Brigade quoting ‘Nothing happened in Scotland!’
No, because Towing Away is still permitted which is what happens now if you park on private land and if you think ‘Rogue’ Clampers are an issue in England & Wales, go to Glasgow, Edinburgh, Leith, Livingstone etc and see what happens when you park on private property…. you could be gone 5 minutes and come back to find your car on the back of a transporter on its way to a pound, average recovery costs in excess of £250.
I think in this case if the Government is not gonna let me protect my property we need a campaign on Facebook etc. to buy up all the old bangers we can find, don’t register them to anyone and them park them in every Government and Local Authority Car Park we can find, park them on the Drive of every serving MP’s Property or at their Surgeries and let them experience for themselves what private landowners experience on a day to day basis.
No one on the forum is saying that Rogue Clampers are not an issue and need to be dealt with but for every Rogue Clamper story you read in the Press claiming their ‘Civil Liberties’ were abused, there were probably 20-30K clamps applied legally, in accordance with guidelines by reputable companies and landowners trying to prevent access to their own parking spaces but of course that is not a story…..
I have a question for all of you on this FORUM that are Anti-Clamping/Towing Away….
Your partner is 9 months pregnant and going into labour, you come out of your house/flat/office and find you cannot use your car because it is blocked by an illegal parker on your property – what are you going to do?
Please don’t say ‘Call an Ambulance’, ‘Call a Cab’ because that only gets your partner to hospital, it does NOT solve the problem.
I came home late from work one night and found a car parked in my space for my flat, knocked on a few doors and found out it was a stolen car the Police had chased, the driver parked in the car park space and legged it. I called the Police to get it removed, they advised the Insurers had been advised and would collect it within 48hrs which did not help me as I had nowhere to park. I asked the Police what would happen if it was on a Public Road, they advised they would remove it immediately so I advised them I was going to get a tow rope and drag it out onto the road… I went to a 24hr petrol station and went back to my flat to find a Police Car in the Car Park, so I spoke to them and they advised they were there solely to ensure I caused no damage to the vehicle in my attempt to move it…. I tied the tow rope to the rear axle of the car and my towing eye and dragged it out onto the road. The police confirmed I was in my legal right to take this action and having caused no damage to the car called it on as it was now and obstruction to the highway and 30 minutes later it was recovered by a Police Contractor…
Now, if the law is changed, I would not be permitted to take such action, so what cause of action do you recommend?
To Steve Wills and all the rest of clamping scum here! Shut ip and put up! You and your pondlife friends are finished.
Dear oh dear.. the TRUE COLOURS of the Anti-Clamping Fanatics are coming through now…
When they are shown CLEAR REASONED ARGUMENTS why some people NEED CLAMPING to be available or the ability to TOW AWAY offending vehicles they have no VALID RESPONSE – just vitriolic rants!
Whats the matter, have you realised that a valid reasoned argument could prevent the ban and instead result in a more LEGISLATIVE approach to CONTROL, LICENCING and PENALTIES that would PREVENT THEM FROM ENJOYING FREE PARKING AT THE EXPENSE OF OTHERS – Grow up!
Seems to be a lot of people on here supporting clamping that use capitals letters to emphasise things. Only FANATICS that I can see are the assorted MISFITS who hang around here outlining RUBBISH SCENARIOS that have no chance of happening when the ban is in force. The whole industry appears desperate to pretend the ban isn’t happening, a sort of collective (knuckle)head in the sand. They need to get real and make plans to sell of their tow trucks and surplus clamps. Maybe a spot of retraining as a bailiff or bouncer, somewhere they can put their redundant muscle to use. Meanwhile the rest of the population continue to celebrate the long awaited end of this menace.
@John Elton.
Capitalisation is used because this blog will not let me use italics and for some you need to make clear points that posters continually ignore.
Now, on Radio 2 at the moment there is a discussion about ‘Mother & Baby’ parking spaces in Supermarkets and the arguments about the misuse of them… tough luck, just because you are a parent does not mean you need special parking spaces when you have consistently for years parked in the DISABLED BAYS….
… coming to disabled bays, if this law is introduced, how are companies and other organisations going to enforce them? Since they were first introduced Nationally no method of penalty has stopped ignorant non disabled people parking in them… some people are just freeloaders, they expect special priviledges, they think they have more rights than anyone else and they care about noone except themselves…
My argument is this – I am totally 100% against Rogue Clampers, Roving Spy Cameras used by Councils, Excessive Zealous over use of Parking Tickets etc, but if you park anywhere that is not a Public Road then it is your responsibility to ensure that you have consent to park there and to walk around and look for signs – if you cannot be bothered to do that, then sorry, you deserve everything you get.
If you park on a Double Yellow – you know you will get a ticket or towed away.
If you park on a Red Route – you know you will get a ticket or towed away.
If you park in a Bus Lane – you know you will get a ticket or towed away.
If you park in a Pay & Display – you know you will pay a penalty.
So, what makes it different on private land. We have all paid tax and petrol duty to use the roads but are still subject to random fines and penalties depending on which City/Town/Authority you are in, whereas with private land, you have contributed nothing to the purchase, upkeep and maintenance of that land so why should you think you can park there?
Scotty says:
8 September 2010 at 9:12 am
Scotty; It would be wrong to form a judgment on what you read in the newspapers.
another angle says:
8 September 2010 at 9:33 am
FYI
Companies rent vacant lots for the purpose of providing much needed additional parking; they have a right to protect their investment
Val
I agree with you; they only have to comply with the accepted practice of parking lawfully but instead they do the crime and cry about the fine
John Elton
Its only proposed legislation
Delude yourselves all you want, not-so-happy clampers. The end of your legalised robbery is in sight. Far better instead of making multiple ranting posts on here, that no reasonable person will pay any heed to, to think about what career you would like to do next. Now there are not many jobs that you can extort hundreds of pounds for nothing, so there will have to be some changes.
In the meantime relax and take a chill pill. After all, it might never happen and large Danish Pot Bellieds might be seen hovering over the Houses of Parliament.
Something Lynne has not revealed is that within her own Constituency are 1,000’s of leaseholders that have no recourse of action against illegally parked cars should this legislation proceed in its current format.
A good campaign can make the difference between Ms Fetherstone keeping her seat or losing it during an election….!!!!
Ha, ha, some pro-clampers here seem to operate in a sort of parallel universe. The ban on clamping cost Lynne votes? Dream on, the move is universally popular. I wouldn’t be surprised that there are a fair few hundred extra votes in it to extend her already safe majority. Who do you think the many thousands of people who have been ripped off by these ganngsters will vote for – Lynne who has put them out of business or her Labour opponent whose party sat around twiddling their thumbs while her constituents were extorted.
Vote loser indeed. You do have to wonder about some people. Now I know our clamping friends are apoplectic in their desperation but this is just pure comedy. Lynne’s constituents have inundated her with requests to take stern action, as she herself has said so it is in fact a sure fire winner. I’ll bet her mailbag has been bulging with praise.
See her local paper, which many of her constituents read, praise the ban:
http://www.haringeyindependent.co.uk/news/topstories/8336763._Cowboy_clampers__outlawed_by_Government/
Lynne,
You set this page up so that we may air our views with you. Please therefore have the decency to answer the following questions.
1 September 2010 at 10:40 pm
2 September 2010 at 10:53 am
7 September 2010 at 12:03 pm
Kindly also confirm the actual number of letters that you have received opposing the ban on wheel-clamping.
Well said Natalie brains and beauty
Whatever debate we may have. The Government cannot provide a working solution to protect landowners and homeowners rights.
The vacuous proposal by the Government opens the floodgates to selfish drivers who air their oafish views in an attempt to justify illegal trespass.
The Government has plenty of statute on its books to deal with rogue clampers but no resources to deal with rogue parkers.
What is needed is a professional, dependable private security industry to help protect people, property, assets and operations as the Government alone cannot always attain and maintain the sense of security that society and business expect these days. That is why it is so vital that government bodies, the police, the security industry and security users work in collaboration to help build a vibrant, professional and reliable private security industry.
Big yawn. The same old nonsense goes on and on. And they wonder why Lynne isn’t listening? Clamping is going, deal with it. Clampers had their day for far too long and now this bullying and extortion is being rightly ended. No unconnected person will shed a tear for the demise of these rip off merchants.
For all you out there moaning about paying clamping and towing fees I propose the following:
The Owner/Registered Keeper is responsible for parking contravention penalty on private land.
1. All illegally parked vehicles are towed away
2. The Owner/Registered Keeper collects their vehicle from the compound with picture ID, driving licence, valid insurance and proof of address
3. The Owner/Registered Keeper pays nothing for the release of the vehicle but receives 3 penalty points on their licence in the same way as a speeding ticket
Non collected and unregistered vehicles to be sold at auction with 50% of the sale funds going to support free school meals and leisure facilities in the community. The other 50% going to the landowner and homeowner in compensation and to to self fund the scheme.
Has anyone called the men in white coats? There appears to be a vulnerable patient on the loose.
Unlike the Governments proposal the scheme above would concentrate on the guilty. To you irresponsible motorists out there you will be allowed up to one parking contravention per year on private land before you tot up enough points to prevent continuance.
I would expect however that many of you that support the ban on clamping would be banned from driving within a short period of such legislation.
Your argument relating to fees and charges is a ruse; you are a nuisance to society not the clampers. THAT’S AN ABSOLUTE FACT.
Concerned
You simply want a free ride in life, pay & display or park lawfully like decent folk.
Concerned
I have educated my children to respect others and common courtesy. They would no more occupy a seat on a train and watch an elderly person or mother with a baby stand than they would park illegally.
These are the views of decent people and I am sorry that you do not share them.
I have called the white coated men but they may be a little time. Can someone keep that person busy until they arrive?
On no, scratch that, I see the multiple ranting posts, they are already busy.
Concerned and also concerned [probably the same person]
Is that the best defence you can put forward or have you got anything intelligent to say
It’s noteworthy that those who oppose clamping and towing avoid answering questions that they find disagreeable.
We must of course risk the aggravation of the likes of “concerned” and “also concerned” [most probably the same person] who are unable to enter into a sensible debate; but all is not lost for them as I am sure they will provide equal entertainment to us all if they auditioned for a place on the Jerry Springer or Jeremy Kyle show.
I have a song for concerned and also concerned, “Troll, Troll, Troll, Troll, Troll… bit like the old Skol Song…
If you think this will NOT cost MP’s votes, think again, all those people that live in Flats across London & The Home Counties, Doctors, Dentists, Small Shop Keepers etc…. all of them will incur costs as a result of this ban one way or another… meanwhilst Nick Clegg when asked about this ‘ban’ seemed a little hesitant in answering and didn’t really say he supported it.. I wonder if Miss Featherstone has an axe to grind for all the wrong reasons.
Come on Miss Featherstone, we want to SEE all those letters, emails and phone records of all your constituents that have complained about Rogue Clamping in your Constituency that justifies a Nationwide Ban on what is for many their only form of defence…
What do you call 2100 clampers on the dole?
A good start.
I don’t think that the clampers will be on the dole, that’s an occupation reserved for the lazy who scrounge of the hardworking……
Decent folk get a job or at least endeavour to find work, decent folk also park lawfully.
How about using the out of work clampers in experiments instead of rats? Strange as it sounds there is a good rationale:
1. Lab assistants would be less attached to the clampers than rats
2. The population of clampers grows faster than rats
3. Clampers contribute less to society, and thus are more expendable than rats
4. Animal rights societies do not oppose experimentation on clampers
5. There are some things even a rat won’t do
“an occupation reserved for the lazy who scrounge of the hardworking”
Ha. ha, you have just quoted the job description for clampers.
Lynne, is very quite maybe she is clamped or having a retractable post fitted at her home and office.
Her chauffeur will need to get use to the British weather and invest in an umbrella when undertaking the task of unpaid parking attendant when erecting the post every time Lynne goes out or he could just park where he wants if clamping and towing is banned and invest in a shredder for the purpose of recycling any letters, tickets placed on the vehicle, although the norm is you just throw them on the floor and drive away.
A logo Lib Dem umbrella; fighting the UK weather and combating parking abuse. Now that a thought.
“Taxi for unreal world occupant”