Financial ombudsman gearing up for more complaints ahead of PPI deadline – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 21st, 2017 in complaints, financial regulation, insurance, news, ombudsmen, time limits by sally

‘The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is anticipating a “significant increase in demand” for its services in the run-up to the August 2019 deadline for complaints about potentially mis-sold payment protection insurance (PPI)’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 17th August 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

‘The Ombudsman ordered Lloyds to repay us £47,500 – and then changed its mind’ – Daily Telegraph

Posted July 27th, 2017 in banking, compensation, conveyancing, fraud, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘A couple who were told by the Financial Ombudsman they would be repaid more than £47,000 stolen in a conveyancing scam have now been told, more than a year later, that they will not be getting their money back.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 27th July 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Council to pay out £12k over failings to family of severely autistic boy – Local Government Lawyer

Posted July 25th, 2017 in autism, children, costs, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘A county council has agreed to pay out £12,000 and meet the legal costs of the family of a boy with severe autism, after the local authority failed to provide the right accommodation for him.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 25th July 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Expert witness wins apology and payment from Legal Aid Agency – Law Society’s Gazette

Posted July 18th, 2017 in complaints, expert witnesses, fees, legal aid, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The Legal Aid Agency has been told to directly apologise and pay £10,000 to an expert witness in immigration cases for causing him distress, inconvenience and financial loss by excessively auditing his bills.’

Full Story

Law Society's Gazette, 17th July 2017

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Council agrees £10k-plus payout after grandmother left without respite – Local Government Lawyer

‘A London borough has agreed to pay out more than £10,000 after an investigation by the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman into how a grandmother was left without respite for two years.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 13th July 2017

Source: localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Court awards aggravated damages against Ombudsman over case handling – Local Government Lawyer

‘Aggravated damages have been awarded against the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman over its treatment of an applicant.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 11th July 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Sikh couple in legal action after adoption agency tells them not to apply – Local Government Lawyer

Posted June 28th, 2017 in adoption, equality, local government, news, ombudsmen, race discrimination by sally

‘A British couple of Sikh Indian heritage are to bring legal action after they were told by a council-run adoption agency not to apply to become adoptive parents because only white babies were available.’

Full Story

Local Government Lawyer, 27th June 2017

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Complaints about pension products on the rise following freedoms, says ombudsman – OUT-LAW.com

Posted June 15th, 2017 in complaints, news, ombudsmen, pensions, reports by sally

‘Consumer complaints about self-invested and small self-administered pension products increased by a third last year, in the aftermath of more flexibility around pension savings, according to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS).’

Full Story

OUT-LAW.com, 14th June 2017

Source: www.out-law.com

Rise of the car hire cowboy: Ombudsman sees 73pc increase in driver grievances – Daily Telegraph

Posted June 13th, 2017 in complaints, consumer credit, financial regulation, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘Car hire purchase deals are now among most complained about policies in Britain, Ombudsman figures show.’

Full Story

Daily Telegraph, 12th June 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Payday loan complaints see sharp rise despite new rules – BBC News

‘Complaints about payday loans have risen sharply for the second consecutive year despite strict new regulations limiting interest charges.’

Full Story

BBC News, 13th June 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Barrister with history of failing to co-operate with BSB and LeO suspended for two years – Legal Futures

‘A commercial barrister has been suspended from practice for failing to comply with an order of the Legal Ombudsman (LeO) and requests from his own regulator, only two years after a series of similar findings as well as a suspension for handling client money when he should not have done.’

Full story

Legal Futures, 8th May 2017

Source: www.legalfutures.co.uk

Just too much effort… Barnet and homeless applications – Nearly Legal

‘The Local Government Ombudsman has issued a quite withering decision on a complaint about Barnet Council’s failure to make a formal decision on repeated homeless applications by a homeless woman.’

Full story

Nearly Legal, 30th March 2017

Source: www.nearlylegal.co.uk

Councils rejecting parking appeals ‘out of hand’ without reading them – watchdog report – Daily Telegraph

Posted February 6th, 2017 in appeals, fines, local government, news, ombudsmen, parking, reports by sally

‘Cash-hungry councils are “all too often” rejecting out of hand drivers’ challenges to parking fines without even bothering to read them, according to a watchdog report.’

Full story

Daily Telegraph, 6th February 2017

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

Dean Saunders death: Prison ombudsman finds ‘weaknesses’ – BBC News

Posted January 23rd, 2017 in death in custody, mental health, news, ombudsmen, prisons, suicide by sally

‘The criminal justice system “did too little to protect” a vulnerable inmate who electrocuted himself in prison, the Prisons Ombudsman has found.’

Full story

BBC News, 23rd January 2017

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Watchdog calls for action over transgender prison deaths – The Guardian

Posted January 10th, 2017 in complaints, news, ombudsmen, prisons, suicide, transgender persons by sally

‘The recent deaths of several transgender prisoners underline the need for jails to be more flexible and proactive in managing such inmates, a watchdog has said.’

Full story

The Guardian, 10th January 2017

Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Webber v Department for Education (Pensions Ombudsman intervening) – WLR Daily

Posted October 25th, 2016 in complaints, law reports, limitations, ombudsmen, pensions, time limits by sally

Webber v Department for Education (Pensions Ombudsman intervening) [2016] EWHC 2519 (Ch)

‘The complainant was a teacher and a member of the Teachers’ Pension Scheme. In November 2009 the pension scheme’s administrator wrote to the complainant seeking recovery of pension overpayments in respect of each year since 2002. The complainant made a complaint to the Pensions Ombudsman, pursuant to Part X of the Pension Schemes Act 1993, in which he took a limitation defence. The administrator wrote to the ombudsman in December 2011, indicating it opposed the complaint. The ombudsman went on to reject the complainant’s limitation defence. On his appeal, the High Court held that the complainant had a limitation defence for the recovery of any overpayments made more than six years before the relevant date when the limitation period was to be regarded as having stopped. On a further determination, the ombudsman held that the relevant cut off date for the purposes of limitation was that of the November 2009 letter, namely, the date of an unequivocal demand.’

WLR Daily, 14th October 2016

Source: www.iclr.co.uk

Driven to despair – official-documents.gov.uk

Posted October 20th, 2016 in complaints, driving licences, health, ombudsmen, press releases, reports by sally

‘This report highlights major failings in the way DVLA makes decisions on whether people with certain medical conditions are safe to drive.’

Full press release

official-documents.gov.uk, 19th October 2016

Source: www.official-documents.gov.uk

‘Major failings’ in DVLA medical fitness to drive cases – BBC News

Posted October 20th, 2016 in complaints, driving licences, health, news, ombudsmen, reports by sally

‘The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) is not making fair decisions about medical fitness-to-drive cases, a report has suggested. It said people’s lives had been put on hold for years because of flawed decision-making and poor communication. The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report found “major failings” in eight drivers’ cases.’

Full story

BBC News, 20th October 2016

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Ombudsman criticises council after man left in unsuitable care home – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 2nd, 2016 in autism, care homes, compensation, complaints, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘A local authority has agreed to pay £2,000 to a man left in an unsuitable care home for 11 months longer than he should have been.’

Full story

Local Government Lawyer, 1st September 2016

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Gambling regulator looks to clamp down on unlicensed e-sports betting and gambling of ‘in-game’ items – OUT-LAW.com

Posted August 22nd, 2016 in class actions, gambling, internet, interpretation, licensing, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The British gambling regulator has warned online platforms that facilitate bets on e-sports or which allow gamers to gamble virtual items they have obtained when gaming that they might require a gambling licence to continue with their operations.’

Full story

OUT-LAW.com, 22nd August 2016

Source: www.out-law.com