London Councils ‘still chasing’ BPA to appoint mediator in payment dispute

There appears to be no end in sight in the long-running dispute between the British Parking Association (BPA) and London Councils over costs for the private land appeals service POPLA.

Last October the two sides stated that the matter would be referred to an independent mediator. However, London Councils told Parking Review: “We are still chasing the BPA over the appointment of a mediator and, once this is settled, a date for the mediation can be set.”

London Councils says it is owed more than £202,000 by the BPA, a figure the parking association disputes.

London Councils operated Parking on Private Land Appeals (POPLA) on behalf of the BPA from its launch in November 2012 until September 2015. The contract saw the BPA paying London Councils around £900,000 a year to hear appeals by drivers issued parking charge notices by members of its Approved Operator Scheme (AOS).

Correspondence between the two sides reveals that the dispute of the charges dates back to June 2014, when London Councils informed the BPA that it had increased its charges. London Councils told the BPA it had re-calculated its charges for 2013/14 and 2014/15 to ensure that “work for external agencies such as BPA is not being subsidised by the London boroughs in any way”.