The Department for Transport has today (8 January 2026) announced that local councils across England will have the power to introduce pavement parking restrictions across their area.

These powers come as the Department for Transport responds to a consultation on pavement parking which ran in 2020 under the previous Conservative Government.

Currently blocked pavements can create serious barriers for many, including parents with pushchairs, wheelchair users, blind and partially sighted people, and older people, limiting independence and making journeys increasingly difficult.  

CIHT welcomes the announcement of increased powers for local authorities.

The institution believes that those best placed to make decisions about what their highways should be used for are local communities through their local authorities. National legislation should enable these authorities to be responsive to community concerns in a way that is affordable, quick and effective.

Additionally, the Transport Select Committee explored the issue and published a report during their inquiry into ‘Pavement Parking’ in 2019.

CIHT submitted a response to this enquiry that is available to read here.

In the response, CIHT stated:

‘CIHT believes that those best placed to make decisions about what their highways should be used for are local communities through their local authorities. National legislation should enable these authorities to be responsive to community concerns in a way that is affordable, quick and effective.’ 

More information on the announcement is available to read here.

CIHT further recommends requiring local authorities to consult on known locations of regular parking on the footway and their intentions of how (and when) they plan to deal with it.

This would enable local communities and the emergency services to provide their views at an early stage. This type of consultation should involve the community at every stage in the process, i.e. co-cultivation, as recommended by the CIHT report Creating a Public Realm for All.

CIHT looks forward to continuing to work with local authorities across England, the Department for Transport, and the UK Government on the issue of pavement parking and working towards a transport network that works for all.