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Green Deal Grants

The woman with learning disabilities who died after losing a fifth of her body weight in less than three weeks. Plus Green Deal grants gone wrong and rough sleepers in bins.

We look at the death of a woman with learning disabilities, who lost a 5th of her body weight in less than 3 weeks. The family of 26 year old Nicki Rawlinson have received the findings of a report by the Health Service Ombudsman who investigated a complaint about the care she received at Barnet Hospital in London. Our disability reporter, Carolyn Atkinson speaks to Nicki's family.

The numbers of women beer drinkers has doubled in the UK in recent years. This week the multinational brewing company, SABMiller, said it was time to move away from advertising campaigns that are dismissive or insulting to women - they say that not only women might be offended by overtly misogynistic marketing - the brewing companies risk alienating a significant number of male customers too.

Citizens Advice has told You and Yours that it's had more than two thousand complaints in the last 12 months about companies offering work as part of the Green Deal. The Green Deal was the last administration's big policy initiative to improve homes and cut energy bills.
The way it works is that accredited companies assess a property and identify works that would pay for themselves over time through energy savings. Loans are available to cover the cost of the works, paid by through electricity bills. It isn't simple and take up was disappointing. The scheme has been amended, and now offers to pay the majority of the costs of certain energy saving measures, payable after the work has been done. We speak to one of our listeners about his experience.

More and more people sleeping rough are climbing into industrial bins. Bin crews are now expected to check bins before they empty them to make sure no one is inside. Last month a body was found at a recycling plant in Birmingham and waste firms say there are hundreds of near misses every year as bin men discover rough sleepers just as they're about to tip bin contents into the crusher lorries. One of the biggest companies, Biffa, is so worried it's trialling cameras on lorries to encourage crews to be vigilant. Melanie Abbott reports.

We hear from the listener who took Expedia to court in 2010 for a refund they didn't pay in 2004.

Producer: Maire Devine
Editor: Chas Watkin.

Available now

45 minutes

Chapters

  • Bodies in Bins

    What's been done about the increasing number of people who are sleeping rough in bins?

    Duration: 09:04

  • Holiday Claim Update

    A listener successfully gets redress from Expedia after 6 years of waiting for a refund

    Duration: 03:03

  • Green Deal Grants

    Citizens Advice has had more than 2000 complaints in the last year about firms doing work

    Duration: 05:54

  • Beer Adverts

    Do beer advertisers need to rethink who their market is?

    Duration: 06:54

  • Direct Debit Insurance Premiums

    The FCA says that consumers aren't being told of the higher cost of paying by instalments

    Duration: 04:18

  • Hospital Death

    Health Service Ombudsman concludes there were failings in the care of Nicki Rawlinson

    Duration: 08:07

Broadcast

  • Mon 18 May 2015 12:15

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