MSP launches consultation on bill targeting rogue private parking firms
A Tory MSP is to begin consulting on proposed legislation aimed at cracking down on rogue private parking firms.
Murdo Fraser will launch his members' bill on Friday, which would introduce legal protection for motorists who receive parking tickets from private companies.
It would seek to cap the fines firms can issue, bringing them into line with penalties issued by local authorities.
An independent appeals panel would also form part of the legislation, to ensure members of the public have a trusted organisation to rule on contentious fines.
A public consultation on the proposals will open on Friday.
Mr Fraser said: `I started this campaign three years ago after receiving hundreds of emails, letters and phone calls from drivers who had been incorrectly fined at one particular private car park in Perth.
`After subsequent research and analysis, it became clear that this is not an issue specific to Perth but one that affects the whole of Scotland.
`Motorists up and down the country are being taken advantage of and pressured into paying parking charges without adequate access to a fully independent appeals process.
`Fines are too high and the tactics used to elicit payment verge on the immoral.
`Tackling cowboy parking companies will require the input of not just drivers but the industry itself, and I am now calling on interested parties to give their feedback on my proposals.'