The UK will always need parking professionals. As long as people continue to drive, parking regulations will be required to keep order in the country's towns and cities. The sector's long-term future is secure, but what is in store for it in the next few years? We take a look below.

Rising demand
Britain's roads keep on getting busier. Official figures show that with the odd exception of 1991, the number of vehicles licensed for use in the country has increased year on year since the end of World War Two and stood at 35.3 million during the first quarter of 2014.

That's a lot of vehicles and they all need to be parked somewhere. What's more, the number will almost certainly grow even further with each year that passes. The parking profession will be needed to keep order amongst this expansion and ensure regulations are upheld; otherwise the UK's towns and cities could quickly descend into congested chaos that will make it difficult for anyone to get anywhere.

Tackling confusion
For civil enforcement officers, educating the public is becoming an increasingly important part of their day-to-day work. A strong emphasis is being placed on the customer service aspect of the role and officers are expected to be able to provide motorists with information and advice that will reduce the chances of them breaching parking regulations in the future.

It would seem this is necessary, as the results of a survey suggest there is a lot of confusion surrounding parking at the moment. A poll undertaken by Churchill Car Insurance last month found 22 per cent of drivers have had their vehicle clamped or towed because they were unable to understand parking regulations in their area.

Furthermore, one in three people said they avoid parking in their local town or city centre as they are unsure of parking rules. This even prevents ten per cent of people from parking within their own residential area.

Understandably, the problem is worse in London, with 48 per cent of people unsure about parking restrictions in the capital.

This is a high level of confusion and it may well be the responsibility of people in the parking industry to educate the public and ensure as many drivers as possible know and understand the regulations where they live.

Government attention
It's less than a year until the next general election and the way the country votes may well have a bearing on the profession, as both Labour and the Conservatives have their own opinions on how parking regulations should be enforced.

There has been a fair amount of attention towards the sector from the current government recently. The coalition has decided to limit councils' use of camera cars in identifying parking offences and this will place extra emphasis on civil enforcement officers to ensure regulations are upheld.

Politicians have also expressed unhappiness with the amount of money some local authorities have been raising through parking fines and any changes that stem from this are likely to have an impact on officers as well.