Overview
- The Carson McDowell review found the SRA treated reports about SSB Law in isolation rather than assessing systemic risk, delaying intervention until October 2023.
- The Legal Services Board plans a public censure with performance targets and monitoring, and the SRA has accepted all recommendations and issued an apology.
- From 2019 to 2023 the SRA received around 50 reports from clients, installers, other firms and bodies including the Insurance Fraud Bureau, yet an April 2023 probe still judged SSB financially stable despite £128m in funder debt.
- SSB entered administration in January 2024 owing more than £200m, leaving thousands of often vulnerable cavity wall insulation claimants exposed to significant adverse costs.
- Victims’ representatives and some in the profession are pressing for a coordinated redress plan and independent oversight, while the SRA points affected consumers to negligence claims, the Legal Ombudsman and the Financial Ombudsman.