Rayleigh MP Mark Francois has welcomed provisions recently approved by Parliament which will tighten up on the operations of car clamping companies.
Mark has received a host of complains from constituents over the past two years over the heavy handed tactics employed by clampers operating in and around Rayleigh. As a result Mark replied to a government consultation exercise on the possibility of tightening up the law in this area and in so doing he supported tougher rules under which such companies would have to operate in future.
These have now been incorporated into the Crime and Security Bill, which was approved by Parliament just prior to it being dissolved for the General Election. The measures include a tighter licensing system for clamping companies themselves and also an independent Tribunal to which people can appeal if they feel they have been unfairly clamped or overcharged by one of the companies in question.
Speaking about these new measures Mark Francois said:
""Nobody wants to be clamped but what has really made a number of my constituents angry is when they are charged way in excess of the standard clamping fee, which only adds insult to injury. Most of the complaints I have received focus on this point and so I am pleased that after representation from MPs of all parties the law has been changed and will now include an independent appeals process as well as a stricter licensing regime. Unfortunately, this will not help those who have been clamped in the past but it should assist anyone who gets in dispute with a clamping company in future and now we have this legislation I hope the companies concerned will moderate their behaviour as a result.”
