Combined Parking Solutions (CPS) is a Private Parking Company (PPC) that provide parking solutions for their clients. There is quite a a lot of controversy surrounding their poor trading practices in the past. Combined Parking Solutions were suspended for breaching rules set out by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).
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Company History
The current Director of CPS is Alexandra Perkins. This information can be found on Companies House and her personal LinkedIn profile. Her husband Michael Perkins was also a director from 1 October 2012 to 12 October 2012.
Mrs Perkins’ LinkedIn profile shows she has been Director of CPS since June 2007. According to Companies House, CPS was incorporated on 18 June 2012.
Also looking at Mrs Perkins’ previous appointments it can be seen that Combined Solutions (UK) Ltd was incorporated on 25 January 2008 and the dissolved on 10 September 2013.
CPS was a trading name of Combined Solutions UK (Ltd), and this can be seen in the footer of their website for the 27 January 2010 snapshot from the Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.
Combined Parking Solutions And The DVLA
In order for a PPC to be able to get access to the DVLA database, they must be part of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA). There are two ATAs, these are the British Parking Association (BPA) and the International Parking Community (IPC). By being a member of an ATA, a PPC can access vehicle keeper information.
The DVLA has in place a set of rules that PPCs are supposed to follow. There are specific rules regarding signage, and PPCs must not make any reference to liability by anyone other than the driver.
On 14 June 2012, the DVLA sent a message (download message here) to the BPA instructing them to put out a warning to their members regarding some specific rule breaches.
It was found that CPS had breached these rules on at least three separate occasions. They were subsequently suspended from accessing the DVLA database for three months on 30 August 2012 (download suspension letter here). By breaking these rules, CPS had been wrongly issuing Parking Charge Notices (PCNs).
The specific wording on the signage that formed the basis of the complaint was as follows:
“By parking on this land you are also agreeing that if you are not the registered keeper, the registered keeper has authorised all acts that you perform as the driver of the vehicle and that the registered keeper has agreed to accept liability and responsibility for the above parking charge“
Combined Parking Solutions signage wording that caused their suspension.
As can be seen, this wording makes reference that the registered keeper is liable for any parking charges incurred due to the driver breaching parking rules. This is exactly what the DVLA were warning the BPA about in their email sent on 14 June 2012.
By being suspended from accessing the DVLA database, it had major effects on how CPS operated. The DVLA also stipulated that CPS would not be able to obtain any keeper information after their suspension ends, or via another PPC.
CPS On The BPA Board
A news update posted on CPS’ website, under their news section on 27 August 2012, congratulated Mr Perkins, their Operations and Strategy manager, on becoming a board member within BPA’s Approved Operator Scheme (AOS). He was successfully elected on 24th August 2012, six days before CPS’ suspension. This post has since been removed from their website, but can still be seen via the Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.
It can also be seen in the minutes from a BPA Council Meeting on 19 September 2012 that the Council were asked to consider the case against Mr Perkins regarding CPS’ suspension from the DVLA database, and select from one of four recommendations (download minutes here)
Some of the conversation seems to drift into territory that could be seen as biased when discussing the case:
“I’m sure we wouldn’t want to get to the point of having someone removed from the scheme who was also a board member.“
Karen Naylor BPA Elected Member 2010 – 2016
CPS Joins IPC
Sometime in late 2014, CPS ceased to be a member of the BPA, and became a member of the IPC.
It’s unknown if the BPA decided to remove CPS from their AOS, or if they left. The BPA has a 12 point system where their member’s can accrue points for non-compliance over a 12 month period. The more severe the non-compliance, the more points accrued.
If a member reaches 12 points in a 12 month period, the operator may be referred to the BPA Council of Representatives for disciplinary action. This could result in suspension or termination of their membership from the AOS and the BPA.
Conclusion
The main point to take away from CPS’ suspension, is that even if a PPC is part of an ATA, they can still be breaking the Codes of Practice they are supposed to be following.
Always check signage, notices, terms and conditions, etc, to make sure everything makes sense. Check the relevant Codes of Practices to make sure the PPC is following them.
Sources used to write this article: