BRADFORD West MP Naz Shah has committed to “naming and shaming” insurance companies if they continue to pursue legal fees from residents who have been caught in the middle of a “scandal within a scandal”.
Hundreds of homeowners in Bradford were faced with huge legal bills after ‘no win no fee’ legal firm, SSB Law, collapsed in late 2023.
The victims were pursuing compensation after claiming inappropriate cavity wall insulation was installed at their homes using the Government’s green homes grants.
The claimants alleged that the work caused long-lasting issues with damp and mould at thousands of homes.
But homeowners faced an even bigger shock when they received a bill for court fees not paid when SSB Law collapsed.
The demands were sent out by insurers of SSB Law last winter.
A protest, organised by Bradford East MP Imran Hussain and attended by Bradfordians, was held in London back in May to shine a light on the issue.
Bradford West MP Naz Shah hosted a meeting at Carlisle Business Centre, in Manningham on Thursday evening for those impacted by the scandal to attend – the second after a similar event in February.
More than a dozen people turned up and heard from Benedict Fisher and Jennifer Ackers of the SRA (Solicitors Regulation Authority) - the independent watchdog for all solicitors and most law firms across England and Wales.
The SRA has been investigating SSB Law and compiling documents and data, including company emails, as part of the process.
It set a self-imposed deadline of this autumn for it to be complete but Ms Ackers, who is heading up the investigation, said this has been pushed back to early next year.
But she confirmed the investigation is in its final stages and a number of significant discoveries have been made so far.
Ms Ackers said: “I am able to update you that from the work that my team have already completed we do have serious concerns as to what was going on at the firm in relation to how matters should have been progressed properly.
“Obviously this evening, I can’t definitively say what action we will be taken because the investigation is still live.”
Nawab Khan, 61, of Great Horton said he is being told he owes around £7,000 and kept it from his family initially.
He added: “An SSB engineer came and said you can claim, they took photos.”
Mr Khan claims SSB told him that when a court hearing came round, “you will come as well”.
He “was never invited” and was told the claim did not succeed as there was “not enough evidence”.
Mr Khan said: “If there’s not enough evidence why did they pursue?”
The 61-year-old is still living with damp in the house.
The meeting heard that some people had already tried to contact the insurance companies related to them and said they had taken a hard line on the matter.
Ms Shah said: “If you write to me with the insurance companies you’re dealing with, I’m happy to publicly name and shame them.”
Ms Shah said: “We’re not dropping the ball on this, we’re continuing to look at it, other MPs are looking across it."
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