Huge parking change for drivers in England - and it’s rare good news

Millions of motorists were handed a rare win this week, which will eliminate a major parking annoyance that has plagued Brits for the past decade.

While it won't make running your car any cheaper, Labour has revealed that Brits will no longer find themselves awkwardly downloading the apps of various private firms just to pay for a parking ticket.

Drivers will be able to use a single app, using the National Parking Platform, to pay to leave their car in any car park, under the Government-backed plans.

This "one-app-fits-all" system means motorists will be able to delete the large number of private parking apps clogging up their phones, hugely simplifying what was once a very simple process.

The upcoming National Parking Platform is the result of multiple trials across the UK, organised by the Government and the British Parking Association (BPA), with the stated aim of making parking simpler and easier.

Drivers will be able to use one app to pay for parking in a vast number of participating car parks, according to Sun reporting. This is due to Labour tasking many of the major private parking firm apps, like RingGo, PayByPhone and JustPark, to deliver the new Government-backed service.

They have argued the centralised platform will remove some of the barriers facing motorists, such as unclear rules and inconsistencies across the many privately-owned car parks in the UK.

Minister of the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood, said: "This government is on the side of drivers and dedicated to giving everyone simpler, more flexible parking.

"I’m delighted that this fantastic project is being taken on by the parking sector with no extra cost to taxpayers.

"This is public infrastructure done right: built by government, shaped with councils and now delivered by the sector that knows it best, at a time where we’re investing a record £1.6 billion through our Plan for Change, to mend our pothole-ridden roads that damage cars and £4.8 billion to deliver new road infrastructure that will better connect people."

As in the 10 local authorities where this new technology has been trialled, this new system will be operated on a not-for-profit basis by both councils and private parking firms, with more administrative areas being added to the platform.

Under the scheme, drivers will be able to pay for their parking using any platform.

BPA Chief Executive, Andrew Pester, said: "Today’s announcement marks the result of 6 years of dedicated work by our parking sector to make paying for parking easier.

"We’ve strongly supported the National Parking Platform from the start, so we’re thrilled with this outcome and excited to collaborate with the Department for Transport and the new NPP company to create a better parking experience for all drivers."