Scandal on top of a scandal exposed
By Holly LynchMP (Labour, Halifax)
Just before Christmas, a number of very distressed local people started to contact me and my office having received enforcement notices out of the blue for as much as £32,000. Some even had bailiffs coming to their homes. As we started to work through the cases it exposed what can only be described as a scandal on top of a scandal.
Most of the cases I am working on follow a similar pattern. Around 2016 many local people had a knock on the door and were asked if they would like cavity wall insulation. They were assured that it wouldn’t cost them a penny because it was a government funded scheme. They were told it would be better for the environment and make their homes more energy efficient, saving them money.
Most of the people approached were eligible for the scheme on the basis they were in receipt of some form of welfare support and were persuaded by the prospect of warmer homes and lower bills.
However, for some, mould and damp started to affect their properties where it had never been an issue before. In some cases, families became quite unwell living in these conditions and couldn’t understand what had changed so drastically in their homes.
Years later they had a second knock on the door from representatives of law firms, often telling them they shouldn’t have had cavity wall insulation in the first place, that it has done damage to their homes which would costs thousands to fix and if they wanted it resolved, they should allow the law firm to take the insulators to court on a no-win no-fee basis. These cases were taken on by solicitors SSB Law.
There was no indication that anything was wrong until the enforcement letters landed, a consequence of SSB Law having gone into administration. A loophole meant that although these were no-win no-fee claims, a failure of the system meant that enormous legal bills were falling to individuals to pick up.
Bearing in mind that people were usually eligible for the government funded schemes in the first place, these bills have devastated people who simply have no way of paying them. It is hard to overstate the impact that this scandal has had on people’s lives.
My office and I have been working tirelessly to support people affected. We have written to the secretary of state for justice to urge government to intervene and The Solicitors Regulation Authority who are investigating SSB Law. I really welcome their investigation which I hope will be comprehensive in assessing what has gone so horribly wrong, but the SRA say their investigation isn’t expected to report until the autumn.
This week I secured a debate in parliament and was joined by MPs representing the 1,400 others affected by this, to call on the government to undertake a review. Whilst we have had some success in managing to get enforcement notices ‘paused’, they hang over people like the sword of Damocles. I urge government to help move this to a more permanent and urgent resolution.
If anyone else in Halifax is affected by this scandal, do get in touch and I’ll do everything I can to help.