Three in four domestic abuse cases end without charge in England and Wales – The Guardian

‘Three in four domestic abuse offences reported to the police are closed without a perpetrator being charged, a watchdog has said, amid fears the figures have worsened during the pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 23rd June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ombudsman criticises London borough over failures as corporate parent to former looked-after child who alleged abuse – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has said the London Borough of Lewisham exposed a former looked after child to “significant harm” after it failed to address her claims of abuse while in foster care properly.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 22nd June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Leasehold campaigners hail ‘landmark’ changes – BBC News

Posted June 23rd, 2021 in housing, leases, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Two big players in the leasehold sector have agreed to change the way they operate, following an investigation by the competition watchdog.’

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BBC News, 23rd June 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Electoral Commission to be stripped of power to prosecute after probe into Boris Johnson’s flat makeover – The Independent

Posted June 21st, 2021 in bills, government departments, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Boris Johnson is to strip the Electoral Commission of the power to prosecute law-breaking, just weeks after it launched an investigation into his controversial flat refurbishment.’

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The Independent, 19th June 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Investigation of organisations using live facial recognition technology in public spaces found none compliant with data protection law: ICO – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 18th, 2021 in data protection, facial mapping, local government, news, ombudsmen, privacy by tracey

‘An investigation by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) published today (17 June) found that out of a group of organisations using live facial recognition (LFR) technology in public spaces, none were fully compliant with data protection law requirements.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 18th June 2021

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK regulator warns Google about accepting scam adverts – The Guardian

Posted June 16th, 2021 in advertising, consumer protection, fraud, internet, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The City regulator has warned it will take legal action against Google and social media companies if they continue to accept advertisements for online financial scams that have flourished during the pandemic.’

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The Guardian, 14th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Windrush victim wrongly threatened with forced return to Jamaica in final years, report finds – The Guardian

‘The Home Office made repeated errors that caused a man who had lived in the UK for more than 50 years to be classified as an illegal immigrant and threatened with arrest, prison and forcible removal, the parliamentary ombudsman has found.’

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The Guardian, 8th June 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

HS2 dishonest over compensation claim, says report – BBC News

Posted May 27th, 2021 in compensation, complaints, compulsory purchase, news, ombudsmen, railways by tracey

‘The firm behind HS2 was “dishonest and misleading” in its handling of a compensation claim from a member of the public who had to sell their home to make way for the line, a report claims.’

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BBC News, 27th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

‘Time to buy’ bitcoin adverts banned in UK for being irresponsible – The Guardian

Posted May 26th, 2021 in advertising, banking, complaints, cryptocurrencies, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘An ad campaign telling the public that “it’s time to buy” bitcoin has been banned after the advertising watchdog ruled that it was irresponsible and misleading.’

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The Guardian, 26th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Amigo Loans shares dive as high court rejects compensation cap – The Guardian

Posted May 25th, 2021 in compensation, financial regulation, loans, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Shares in the UK sub-prime lender Amigo have plummeted on fears that the firm could collapse, after the high court refused to approve a controversial proposal to cap customer compensation claims.’

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The Guardian, 25th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Dozens of vulnerable asylum seekers wrongly placed in Napier Barracks despite watchdog warnings – The Independent

‘Dozens of asylum seekers have been wrongly placed in Napier Barracks after the Home Office failed to recognise their vulnerabilities, prompting concerns that ministers have ignored warnings from watchdogs.’

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The Independent, 23rd May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Home Office’s rush to deport asylum seekers before Brexit was ‘inhumane’, watchdog finds – The Independent

‘The Home Office’s rush to deport asylum seekers last year ahead of Brexit amounted to “inhumane treatment,” a watchdog has found. In its annual report for 2020, the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for the Brook House Immigration Removal Centre (IRC) raised concerns around the impact of the government ramping up efforts to remove people arriving on small boats from the UK in the later months of 2020.’

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The Independent, 20th May 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Universities could face fines over free speech breaches – BBC News

‘Universities in England could face fines under new legislation if they fail to protect free speech on campus.’

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BBC News, 12th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Concerns over impartiality of school abuse review – BBC News

‘Concerns have been raised about the impartiality of an Ofsted review into claims of sex abuse in schools.’

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BBC News, 12th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dangerous eBay listings can be removed by regulators – BBC News

‘Online seller eBay says it is handing regulators the power to take down dangerous listings without consulting the company.’

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BBC News, 10th May 2021

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Police watchdog threatened with legal action over inquiry into man’s death – The Guardian

‘The police watchdog has been threatened with legal action for refusing to investigate whether the conduct of officers who restrained a man for a significant period of time committed a criminal offence or that their behaviour amounts to misconduct.’

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The Guardian, 4th May 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Kent council fined after mother and son left to live in tent in pandemic – The Guardian

‘A council has been fined after it removed a homeless teenager and his mother from temporary housing during the pandemic, leaving them to sofa surf and live in a tent for two months.’

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The Guardian, 23rd April 2021

Source: www.theguardian.com

Mayson hits out at report on impact of Legal Services Act – Legal Futures

Posted April 21st, 2021 in legal services, Legal Services Board, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Professor Stephen Mayson has hit back at a report by the Boston Consulting Group questioning the impact of the Legal Services Act 2007.’

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Legal futures, 21st April 2021

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Police ‘decided not to investigate’ more crimes during coronavirus pandemic, watchdog says – The Independent

Posted April 21st, 2021 in coronavirus, criminal justice, news, ombudsmen, police, statistics, victims by tracey

‘Police in some areas of Britain have “increased the number of crimes they decided not to investigate” during the coronavirus pandemic, a watchdog has revealed.’

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The Independent, 20th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Demands for ‘urgent’ reform after watchdog finds ‘no boundaries’ for civil servants in private jobs – The Independent

‘The head of a Whitehall watchdog has called for “urgent” reform of the system for vetting private sector appointments for senior civil servants and ministers, warning that “there doesn’t seem to have been any boundaries at all” for an adviser who moved straight from the heart of government to the failed finance company Greensill.’

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The Independent, 16th April 2021

Source: www.independent.co.uk