Mother fleeing domestic abuse placed in unsuitable mixed-sex accommodation by council, Ombudsman finds – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found that the London Borough of Tower Hamlets failed to consider the impact of placing a vulnerable family with a history of PTSD from domestic abuse in mixed-sex shared accommodation.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 14th October 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK advertising watchdog cracks down on misleading broadband price ads – The Guardian

‘The UK advertising watchdog has cracked down on marketing campaigns by telecoms companies including BT, EE, Virgin Media and O2 for misleading consumers about price rises added to their bills during their contracts.’

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The Guardian, 9th October 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Council at fault in consideration of best interests of elderly woman, Ombudsman finds – Local Government Lawyer

‘The woman behind the complaint, Ms Y, complained that professionals failed to understand her mother’s personality and wrongly determined she lacked capacity.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 7th October 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

UK Pensions Ombudsman to launch expedited decision-making for complaints – OUT-LAW.com

Posted October 2nd, 2024 in complaints, news, ombudsmen, pensions, pilot schemes by tracey

‘The UK Pensions Ombudsman (PO) will soon launch an expedited determinations scheme to help speed up the resolution of complaints and allow adjudicators to focus on more complex cases.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 2nd October 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Council left family in B&B accommodation for a year more than maximum allowed period: Ombudsman – Local Government Lawyer

‘Birmingham City Council placed a family in bed and breakfast accommodation for 58 weeks, one year more than the maximum time such accommodation can be used for homeless applicants with family commitments, the Local Government & Social Care Ombudsman (LGSCO) has found.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ombudsman rejects complaint in case where complainant alleged she had lost £150k+ due to handling of planning applications – Local Government Lawyer

Posted October 2nd, 2024 in complaints, enforcement, local government, news, ombudsmen, planning by tracey

‘A woman who complained to the Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman about a planning dispute she claims cost her £150,000 has been told the Ombudsman cannot investigate her complaint.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 30th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Prison education failing young offenders – Ofsted – BBC News

Posted October 2nd, 2024 in children, education, news, ombudsmen, prisons, young offenders, young persons by tracey

‘The standard of education received by children in young offender institutions (YOIs) in England and Wales is in rapid decline, according to a report.’

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BBC news, 2nd October 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Dark patterns – Mills & Reeve

‘The ASA has banned Nike and Sky adverts, on the basis they use so called “dark patterns”. Dark patterns are a range of techniques which cross the line from legitimate advertising techniques to ones which unlawfully nudge consumers into making choices not in their best interests. These decisions come as the ASA joins the CMA in undertaking wider proactive investigations into online choice architecture that amount to unlawful dark patterns.’

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Mills & Reeve, 27th September 2024

Source: www.mills-reeve.com

Watchdog bans Huel’s ‘misleading’ advert – second times in two months – The Independent

Posted September 27th, 2024 in advertising, complaints, food, health, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘A watchdog has banned yet another advert for food supplement firm Huel for making unsubstantiated claims about the product’s health benefits and cost relative to fruits and vegetables.’

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The Independent, 26th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

British gambling regulator prosecutes Sorare football game – The Guardian

Posted September 27th, 2024 in cryptocurrencies, gambling, licensing, news, ombudsmen, sport by sally

‘Britain’s Gambling Commission is to prosecute Sorare, a multibillion-pound company that makes a fantasy football game promoted by the Premier League, for providing unlicensed gambling.’

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The Guardian, 26th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

ASA bans adverts for Nike and Sky for using ‘dark pattern’ tactics – The Guardian

Posted September 25th, 2024 in advertising, internet, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Adverts for Nike and Sky have been banned by the regulator for using “dark pattern” tactics designed to lead consumers to unintentionally spend money.’

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The Guardian, 25th September 2024

Source: www.theguardian.com

Ombudsman recommends council review triaging procedures for Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards requests – Local Government Lawyer

‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council at fault for depriving a woman of her liberty without an authorisation, and failing to involve her attorney in a best interests meeting to decide on a new placement.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Ombudsman upholds care home’s complaint about funding for resident – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 24th, 2024 in care homes, local government, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘The Local Government and Social Care Ombudsman has found Leicester City Council at fault in relation to a lack of funding support for a resident in a care home, finding that its actions led to a “financial shortfall” and a “missed opportunity to reduce the risk of harm to the Home residents”.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 23rd September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Advertising watchdog investigates RSPCA Assured adverts after complaints of ‘misleading’ claims – The Independent

Posted September 19th, 2024 in advertising, animal cruelty, animals, charities, complaints, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘The advertising watchdog has launched an investigation into adverts by the RSPCA, following complaints that claims in them are misleading.’

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The Independent, 19th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Half of NHS maternity units slammed by CQC as inadequate or ‘requires improvement’ – The Independent

Posted September 19th, 2024 in birth, hospitals, news, ombudsmen, pregnancy, quality assurance, statistics by sally

‘Nearly half of NHS maternity units in England have been rated as inadequate or requiring improvement, according to the findings of inspections by the healthcare watchdog.’

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The Independent, 19th September 2024

Source: www.independent.co.uk

Inside Operation Soteria: Half of rape investigation teams are not fully qualified – Each Other

Posted September 18th, 2024 in human rights, news, ombudsmen, police, rape, sexual offences by sally

‘The police inspectorate recently published its report on progress in delivering a new model for investigating rape and serious sexual offences, known as Operation Soteria.’

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Each Other, 16th September 2024

Source: eachother.org.uk

DMCC Act overhauls UK consumer law enforcement and expands consumer rights – OUT-LAW.com

Posted September 17th, 2024 in competition, consumer protection, enforcement, news, ombudsmen by tracey

‘Consumer protection laws, and particularly the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) enforcement powers, have been substantially strengthened by landmark new UK legislation which elevates directly enforceable consumer protection rules to the same status as competition law.’

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OUT-LAW.com, 16th September 2024

Source: www.pinsentmasons.com

Take Post Office compensation scheme away from lawyers, say experts – Law Society’s Gazette

‘The adversarial nature of the compensation scheme for victims of the Post Office scandal is preventing them securing timely redress.’

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Law Society's Gazette, 16th September 2024

Source: www.lawgazette.co.uk

Ombudsman recommends compensation in council tax dispute – Local Government Lawyer

Posted September 6th, 2024 in compensation, council tax, local government, news, ombudsmen by sally

‘Slough Borough Council has been recommended by an ombudsman to pay £350 to local resident Mr X after taking him to court for unpaid council tax, despite having agreed to him paying by instalments.’

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Local Government Lawyer, 5th September 2024

Source: www.localgovernmentlawyer.co.uk

Prisoner found dead after inadequate welfare check – BBC News

Posted September 4th, 2024 in death in custody, news, ombudsmen, prisons by tracey

‘A welfare check on the morning of a prisoner’s death “fell short” of the required standards, a report by the prison ombudsman has said.’

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BBC News, 3rd September 2024

Source: www.bbc.co.uk