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'Cowboy builders' targeted in new government clampdown

  • Prime Minister Andy Burnham unveiled new measures targeting "cowboy builders" and regulating private bailiffs, introducing a trusted trader database and payment system to protect homeowners from unscrupulous operators.
  • More than one in four adults experienced difficulties during home improvements in the past 18 months, Citizens Advice reported, with complaints ranging from sub-standard craftsmanship to builders vanishing after collecting upfront payments.
  • A new payment system launching next week allows householders to link payments to project milestones, while a government-backed scheme starting in September requires registered firms to demonstrate standards for customer service, transparency and dispute resolution.
  • Courts Minister Sarah Sackman announced mandatory independent oversight of private bailiffs in England and Wales. "Bailiffs have an important job to do, but with that responsibility must come high standards," Sackman said.
  • Opposition critics dismissed the initiative, with Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith warning it risks "piling more paperwork onto the majority of businesses" and Liberal Democrat spokesperson Sarah Olney calling the voluntary code "half-baked.
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27 Articles

lancashiretelegraph.co.uklancashiretelegraph.co.uk
+15 Reposted by 15 other sources
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'Enough is enough’ Andy Burnham takes aim at cowboy builders and dodgy bailiffs

Families will be given new protections against rogue builders and intimidating bailiffs under a Government crackdown.

·Blackburn, United Kingdom
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Western Morning News broke the news in Somerset, United Kingdom on Thursday, August 27, 2026.
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