Parking on corner

Updates

• Where there are no restrictions on the road, enforcement can only be carried out by Northamptonshire Police, but they are only likely to take action if the parking is causing an obstruction, such as a situation where pedestrians, pram or wheelchair users are being forced into a busy road as a result of parking blocking the verge or pavement. Such cases should be reported to the police on the non-emergency phone number 101 they will then make a decision on what action they may be able to take.

  Pavement parking is a national problem, and the Department for Transport has been looking into this issue for some time and we are waiting the outcome of the consultation that they carried out for us to consider this matter further as currently parking on the pavement is not illegal outside of London, unless specifically prohibited by a local authority (either street-by-street or zonally); the prohibition requiring a formal Traffic Regulation Order (TRO), although we do fully understand the concerns that this has within the local community. The following link is the most up to date information that is available Managing pavement parking - https://www.gov.uk/ government/ consultations/ managing-pavement-parking

  They have now published the outcome of the consultation and confirmed that they will proceed with Option 2: enabling local authorities to enforce against ‘unnecessary obstruction’ of the pavement.

  This new enforcement power has not yet taken effect. It is expected to begin sometime in 2026, once the required secondary legislation has been laid before Parliament and formally comes into force.

  The measure is intended as an interim step ahead of wider primary legislation that will follow.

  In addition, the government will publish Statutory Guidance later in 2026 to clarify how councils should apply these new powers.

  State changed to: Closed

  Posted by West Northamptonshire Council at 08:44, Thursday 16 April 2026