Government urging local councils to sign up to National Parking Platform
Consumer Editor
The Government wants more local councils in England to use the National Parking Platform (NPP).
Launched in May 2025, the NPP is a not-for-profit, open platform that connects multiple parking service providers to thousands of locations nationwide.
Instead of asking drivers to download another app, it integrates the ones they already use, making parking simple, seamless, and consistent everywhere.
Currently, 15 local authorities have signed up for the NPP with the RAC understanding more are due to join shortly. MPs are also considering a move to impose statutory guidance to accelerate sign-ups by local councils.
Statutory guidance is official Government advice that councils are expected to follow. The aim is to double the number of councils participating in the NPP.
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RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Paying to park a car should be one of the simplest tasks any driver does, but with a plethora of different mobile parking payment apps now in existence things have got a little more complicated.
“The roll-out of National Parking Platform has the potential to change that, giving drivers the chance to use a single app of their choice.
“We now need as many operators as possible to join the scheme to make parking easier for everyone."
In fact, a RAC survey from 2025 13% of the 1700 people involved said that they could not work out how to use a parking app – highlighting the importance of a universal platform going forward.Further results from the survey showed that almost three-quarters of UK drivers (73%) who have used a mobile app to pay for parking in the last 12 months experienced difficulties doing so, with most preferring the reliability that comes from using bank cards or cash.
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