War on parking cowboys and cold calls

COWBOY parking firms, nuisance cold callers, inflated rail fares and soaring energy bills were all targeted in a manifesto that aims to end ‘rip-off Britain’.

As well as trying to keep taxes as low as possible, the Tories pledged to make consumer markets work fairly to reduce the cost of living.

Announcing a raft of measures to protect households, the manifesto stated: ‘Poor information, complex pricing and exploitative behaviour prevents markets operating efficiently for the benefit of all.’

The manifesto reiterated Theresa May’s commitment to a cap on energy bills, designed to protect around 17 million households on standard variable tariffs from unfair price hikes.

It also offered hope to millions try- ing to move home or get on the property ladder with the promise to make the tortuous home-buying process ‘more efficient, less costly’.

A key focus will be on solicitors’ hefty conveyancing fees which depend on the value of the home and can run into thousands of pounds.

Meanwhile, with the boom in online shopping, the manifesto included a commitment to protect people who buy goods and services online.

Plans include ending the ‘abusive use’ of subscription services – for example, making it clearer when free trials come to an end.

A Tory government would force telecoms firms to make phone bills easier to understand, including making

it clear when a customer on a monthly contract has paid off the price of their handset.

A ban on cold calling by ‘no win no fee’ ambulance chasers encouraging people to make bogus personal injury claims is being considered.

This follows a pledge by the government to ban cold calling by pension scam firms.

The Tories said they would tackle ‘rogue private parking operators’, whose practices have been repeatedly exposed by the Daily Mail.

This echoes a promise made by the Coalition government, which it failed to follow through on.

The manifesto promised to pay ‘immediate attention’ to the retail energy market if the Tories win the general election.

In a blistering attack on the ‘big six’ firms, it said: ‘Customers trust established brands and mistakenly assume their loyalty is rewarded. Energy suppliers have long operated a two-tier market, where those constantly checking for the best deal can do well but others are punished for inactivity with higher prices.’

A ‘safeguard tariff cap’ will protect around 17million households on standard variable tariffs from ‘abusive price increases’. This will extend price caps already in place for the most vulnerable customers.

Smart meters will be offered to every household and business by the end of 2020.

The Tories also made a commitment to improve the energy efficiency of existing homes for those living in fuel poverty. This includes funding better insulation. An inde- pendent review will be commissioned into the cost of energy, with the aim to give the UK the ‘lowest energy costs in Europe’.

On housing, reforms could look at speeding up the buying process – which can take months – to stop so many purchases falling through.

Ministers were last year said to be considering introducing a ban on gazumping, where a buyer makes a higher offer for a property than another offer that has already been accepted. This was not included in the manifesto.

But Tory sources said the review is likely to look at digitising the laborious conveyancing process which is still heavily reliant on pen and paper. One option would be enabling home buyers to use digital signatures rather than having to print forms.