A pensioner has said he is 'disappointed' by a lack of support from his local MP Joy Morrissey for his campaign to hold 'cowboy' parking companies to account.

Stanley Luckhurst, 85, from Gerrards Cross, is no stranger to the pitfalls of becoming legally embroiled with private parking companies.

The pensioner accidentally parked in a bay reserved for electric vehicles on a trip to Uxbridge last year, citing bad visibility, and received a £100 fine for his mistake. 

Excel Parking proceeded to bring a further legal claim of £255 against the 85-year-old, made up of additional charges including debt collection costs.

The case was dismissed by a judge at the Royal Courts of Justice and the company was ordered to cover Stanley’s legal fees of £306.

The Gerrards Cross local is now on a mission to get tougher legislation introduced for private parking firms – rather than the “so-called independent” arbiter, the International Parking Community (IPC) which is partially funded by Excel.

A Parking Code of Practice was published by the government in early 2022 but was withdrawn after private companies sought legal action against the introduction of new levelled parking charges and a ban on additional fees. A public consultation calling for evidence to inform a relaying of the code is ongoing.

However, Stanley expressed "disappointment" that progress had not been made following communications with Ms Morrissey and Jacob Young, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC), whom he has hoped would lobby for his cause.

READ MORE: ‘There’s no pride in the town’: High Wycombe residents call for local town council

The 85-year-old said: “It is now five years since the 2019 parking code of practice was passed and companies like Excel are still enjoying ticketing fines well in excess of £1 billion a year.

“There is no sign that the statutory requirement to launch a new Private Parking Code will materialise before this parliament is dissolved and the code becomes extinct.

“There is every sign that the DLUHC will continue to kick this can down the road – making them complicit with the greedy parking cowboys.”

Stanley has so far managed to collect 957 signatures on his petition but says the issue goes far beyond being a matter local to Buckinghamshire and would positively impact millions of motorists if it is implemented.

A spokesperson for Excel Parking told the Sheffield Star that they are in support of the new Code of Practice, adding: “The vast majority of parking operators follow an existing Code of Practice with either the IPC (International Parking Community) or the BPA (British Parking Association) and has processes in place for motorists to appeal should they consider that a parking charge has been issued unfairly.

“We understand that parking can be an emotive subject, not only for those who receive a parking charge but also for motorists who are negatively impacted by those who park irresponsibly as well as those who blatantly abuse private land.

“A recent survey undertaken by our Trade Association, the IPC, found that 99.7 per cent of motorists comply with private parking.”

Joy Morrissey MP has been contacted for comment.