Eight councils get moving traffic powers from 9 Dec

From 9 December 2025, a new Department for Transport order takes effect. It widens East Sussex’s civil parking enforcement, approves Cambridgeshire for bus lane enforcement, and gives eight local authorities the green light to enforce ‘moving traffic’ rules by camera. We break down what changes on your street and how the process works.

When we talk about moving traffic enforcement, we mean things like entering a yellow box without an exit, ignoring a ‘no left turn’, driving through a bus gate or a motor‑vehicles‑prohibited sign. Under the Traffic Management Act 2004, councils can only be designated for these powers if they already have civil parking enforcement, and the Secretary of State must consult the police before signing off any application. These are civil penalties: you receive a Penalty Charge Notice (PCN), not licence points.

Which places are in scope from 9 December? Brighton & Hove, Calderdale, Cornwall, Dorset, Kirklees, Knowsley, Milton Keynes and Slough are designated as civil enforcement areas for moving traffic contraventions. If you live, teach or drive there, expect camera enforcement at sites the councils publish and sign.

East Sussex gets tidied‑up parking rules. In Hastings, the whole borough now falls under civil parking enforcement; in Lewes, long‑standing exclusions are removed. For you, that means clearer, consistent rules about who enforces parking across these districts.

Cambridgeshire is newly approved for bus lane enforcement in the same areas already used for civil parking. Bus lane PCNs are sent by post with camera evidence, and the discount window for a camera‑issued PCN is typically 21 days; pay within that period and you usually get 50% off.

Formally, the instrument was made on 11 November 2025 and laid before Parliament on 13 November 2025. It is signed by Keir Mather, a Parliamentary Under‑Secretary of State at the Department for Transport. The legal basis sits in Schedule 8 of the Traffic Management Act 2004, which also embeds the police‑consultation step.

What you’ll notice first is not a flurry of fines. DfT’s statutory guidance asks councils to issue warning notices for first‑time contraventions at each new camera for the first six months and to be clear about when enforcement starts. Signs and road markings must be clear, and councils must use approved devices when relying on cameras.

If a PCN arrives, you usually have 28 days to pay or challenge it. Pay within the discount period to halve the charge-21 days when a PCN is served by post using camera evidence, otherwise typically 14 days-and the case closes. If you do neither, the council can issue a charge certificate, adding 50%, and then register the debt at court if it remains unpaid.

A quick classroom scenario. You make a banned right turn in Milton Keynes after 9 December. A camera records your number plate and a PCN lands on your doormat with photos. You check if the sign was visible and in the right place and whether timings match the sequence shown. If you think the evidence or signing is wrong, you send representations; if refused, you can take a free appeal to an independent adjudicator.

Fairness checks matter. By law, the Secretary of State consults the police before granting these powers, and councils must keep restrictions lawful and clearly signed. If traffic orders or signs are wrong, adjudicators can cancel PCNs. Councils should also publish when each camera goes live and keep accurate records of those dates to support warning notices.

Glossary for your lesson plan. A civil enforcement area is a place where central government has authorised a council to issue PCNs for set contraventions. A special enforcement area links to particular parking rules like double yellow lines. A moving traffic contravention is breaking a signed rule while in motion, such as a banned turn or entering a box junction when your exit is blocked. A PCN is a civil penalty that arrives by post or is placed on the vehicle, with instructions on paying or appealing.

What to watch next. Councils often consult on camera locations and publish start dates with a warning period first. This is the latest phase in a roll‑out that has already brought powers to other areas-there was a similar order in December 2024-so it’s worth updating lesson plans and local driving advice as more places switch on.