The Department for Transport has made a new designation order that takes effect on 9 December 2025, extending civil enforcement of moving traffic contraventions to eight English local authorities and updating parking and bus‑lane provisions in East Sussex and Cambridgeshire. The instrument is titled the Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (County of East Sussex) (Amendment), Bus Lane Contraventions (Approved Local Authorities) (Amendment) and Moving Traffic Contraventions Designation Order 2025 (S.I. 2025/1181).
Under Part 6 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, the Secretary of State may designate a whole authority area or parts of it as a civil enforcement area (CEA) for moving traffic, provided it sits within an existing CEA for parking. These powers transfer specified enforcement from the police to councils, subject to statutory consultation and guidance.
For East Sussex, the Order amends historic parking designations so the whole of Hastings is now covered, removing the long‑standing exclusion in the 1999 Hastings Order that carved out a short length of the A21. In Lewes district, the Order removes the exceptions that previously limited coverage in the 2004 Lewes Order. Together, these changes bring previously excluded roads into East Sussex County Council’s civil and special enforcement areas for parking.
Designation as a special enforcement area enables the council to enforce statutory prohibitions on double parking and parking adjacent to dropped footways or raised tables, alongside its existing parking restrictions. Those powers derive from sections 85 and 86 of the Traffic Management Act 2004 and apply within any area designated as a special enforcement area.
The Order also amends the Bus Lane Contraventions (Approved Local Authorities) (England) Order 2005 to designate parts of Cambridgeshire County Council’s area for bus lane enforcement. The designated geography aligns with areas already approved for parking enforcement, consistent with Schedule 8 of the 2004 Act. This complements separate 2025 changes that updated parking designations in Cambridgeshire.
Moving traffic civil enforcement powers are conferred on Brighton and Hove City Council, the Borough Council of Calderdale, Cornwall Council, Dorset Council, Kirklees Borough Council, Knowsley Metropolitan Borough Council, Milton Keynes City Council and Slough Borough Council. In each case, the coverage is the same as-or sits within-the area already designated for parking enforcement.
From commencement, these authorities will be able to issue penalty charge notices for contraventions such as banned turns or entering restricted streets where restrictions are correctly signed and supported by lawful orders. Notices are typically served by post using recordings from approved devices, with process and device certification governed by the 2022 general provisions regulations.
Statutory guidance expects authorities to operate a six‑month period of warning notices for first contraventions at each new camera location when enforcement begins. Authorities should publish clear communications and maintain accurate records of go‑live dates before moving to full penalty issuance.
Before making designation orders, the Secretary of State must consult the relevant chief officers of police. The guidance also encourages early engagement with the Vehicle Certification Agency and thorough checks that signs, lines and traffic orders are correct and up to date at any enforcement site.
For East Sussex residents and businesses, the widened parking coverage in Hastings and Lewes means civil enforcement can now be applied consistently across previously excluded lengths, supporting day‑to‑day management of waiting, loading and access near crossings and driveways. For fleets and visitors, this reduces ambiguity about where the county enforces parking rules and dropped‑kerb protections.
For Cambridgeshire, bus lane approval aligns enforcement across parking and bus lanes, allowing the county to manage priority routes more consistently, subject to approved signage and certified devices. The 2005 framework continues to provide the underpinning for bus lane adjudication and procedures.
The move continues a phased national rollout of Part 6 powers beyond London. Previous designation orders in 2023 and 2024 expanded coverage to dozens of councils; this latest instrument maintains that trajectory and standardises civil enforcement across more of the network.