Marcel Akumah v Hackney LBC
Hackney had adopted a parking scheme on one of its housing estates under which residents could buy visitor parking vouchers for their guests, each one valid for a day's parking if displayed in a vehicle.

Akumah displayed the vouchers on three visits but each time he was issued with a penalty notice and clamped. The third time, he refused to pay and his car was towed away. He sued the council for the return of his penalty charges and for compensation. The district judge in the county court dismissed the case because she found Akumah's vouchers had on each occasion been tampered with, amended, and were therefore invalid.

In the Court of Appeal Akumah argued that Hackney's parking scheme was unlawful. There is a specific legal power to make byelaws dealing with estate parking but no relevant byelaws had been made. The Court decided that a local authority has broad powers to make parking schemes on housing estates as an aspect of its general discretion in the management, regulation and control of social housing.

Source

Housing Today

Reference

Local authority parking schemes are now legally sound. But this case does not cover parking schemes made by registered social landlords. On any stock transfer the purchasing RSL will need to consider how it can best arrange to continue any current parking scheme.