Former council leader Lord Sahota to make stand over parking fine 'scams' that target 'innocent, unsuspecting motorists'
Lord Kuldip Sahota is calling on the Government to do more to protect "innocent, unsuspecting motorists" from "scam" private parking fines.
The former leader of Telford & Wrekin Council, Lord Sahota has spoken out against private companies for what he says is a national "scam".
Lord Sahota said he was left angry and upset after reading about the 25-year-old mum who was fined £100 for overstaying 21 seconds in a car park in Telford.
The former councillor said he and his wife have both felt the wrath of private car parking companies and has heard of many more left feeling confused and frustrated by inflexible rules.
Now, he says he intends to raise the issue in the House of Lords in the coming weeks and wants to see the government do more to protect "innocent, unsuspecting drivers" that are left out of pocket by parking fines.
Lord Sahota said unclear signage, a difficult appeals process and a lack of support were leading to issues around the country.
He explained: "I'm really upset about this, this has happened to me, it's happened to my wife. I've spoken to taxi drivers that have 10 minutes to wait for their fares and they've been fined because their fares took 12 minutes.
"And there's no flexibility, there's no one to talk to about it. They threaten people, and people end up just paying because they don't want to go through the legal process.
"Somebody somewhere is making a lot of money and I'm angry on behalf of innocent, unsuspecting motorists.
"Someone ought to call in these companies, it's a scam around the country."
Lord Sahota said he intends to raise the issue in the House of Lords, and ask the Government for their assessment of these private parking companies.
"There needs to be better signage, right in front of peoples faces and not hidden away up on a lamp post," he added: "There needs to be some kind of flexibility, and some kind of all-seeing body to protect the innocent."
