British Parking Awards: A magical night at the museum

The 2022 competition has been launched

Mark Moran

18 March 2022

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the British Parking Awards, so Parking Review will be celebrating the competition’s first two decades in style. The birthday journey began with the official awards launch party at the London Transport Museum in the heart of Covent Garden on 17 March. Over 175 parking people enjoyed an evening of magical entertainment, with guests being entertained by magicians as they explored the amazing exhibits at the world leading museum.

The evening’s master of ceremonies was John Mason, director of civil enforcement agency CDER Group, which co-hosted the social. Mason praised the assembled guests for their work supporting communities throughout the pandemic. “The parking sector has done a brilliant job during the lockdowns, with local authorities creating cycling and walking schemes, civil enforcement officers working in testing centres and civil enforcement agents delivering food parcels. So, after what has been a very tough two years, it has been a real pleasure to create an evening that allows you all to relax a little.”

Mason steered the audience through the programme, and also provided updates on the scoreline of his beloved West Ham’s Europa League game against Sevilla (The result was 2:0 to The Hammers).

The 2022 categories were unveiled by Paul Moorby OBE, chief executive of Chipside, the company behind the awards’ headline sponsor MiPermit. Inspired by the museum’s collection of vintage buses and classic trains, Moorby set parking in the broader context of innovative approaches to mobility. He observed:

“Once we simply used to walk to work. Then, we hopped on a bike, took the train, caught the bus and then drove our cars, which all needed parking! Our sector is a key part of a story of progress, so never lose sight of how important freedom to travel is to ensuring our society remains a free and prosperous one.”

The attendees then received some handy insider’s advice on how to win an award from past trophy winners and current jury members John McArdle and Harry Clarke. The evening also saw the presentation of a special Lifetime Achievement Award to John Elliott, who over a career spanning almost 50 years has been a pioneer of using research and data to make the case for key policies such as civil parking enforcement and introducing green travel plans at workplaces.

The next stop for the British Parking Awards 2022 birthday bus will be the Royal Lancaster on 16 September.

The British Parking Awards 2022

Competitive categories

The competitive categories are assessed by the jury. The entries are published as a long list which is whittled down to a shortlist.

Parking Person of the Year
Rising Star Award
The Front Line Award
The Back Office Award
Parking Team of the Year
Parking Partnerships Award
Parking Operator of the Year
Parking Technology Award
Communication Award
Parking in the Community
Outstanding Car Park Award
Car Park Design Award
Car Park Renovation Award
Best New Car Park

Rosette Awards

The Rosettes are special awards reflecting big themes shaping the world of parking. These presentations provide some very special moments on the day.

Reinventing the Street
Parking for a Better World
Parking Futures

Special Awards

The recipients will be selected by the jury from either the field of entries or drawn from the wider parking sector. There are no short lists, so the presentations will be surprises. The MiPermit Inspiration Award is the ceremony’s grand finalé.