Miscellaneous

  • A Private Sector watchdog: 
    • This watchdog would focus on upholding regulations and workers’ rights. This would include ensuring living wage requirements are met by employers, investigating mistreatment of unions and union members, suppression of unions being formed or operating, companies breaking regulations and protecting collective bargaining. To protect collective bargaining, the watchdog would be able to sanction companies that break the rules on collective bargaining. This includes breaking a collective bargaining agreement, not negotiating an agreement properly, firing and rehiring employees to renegotiate agreements.

  • A new NHS watchdog: 
    • An NHS watchdog would receive and deal with complaints from patients and NHS staff alongside inspecting hospitals to ensure they are up to a good standard. It would also identify areas where there are unnecessary staff or contractors and report these to the NHS to act on. Finally, there would be an accountability board to investigate failings within the system. The watchdog would absorb the Care Quality Commission, Health Watch England, assessments of operational performance and financial sustainability of providers which is undertaken by NHS England and NHS Improvement alongside overseeing information governance and data protection which is currently undertaken by NHS bodies and the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). 

  • A Welfare watchdog: 
    • This watchdog would check to see if welfare payments have been made in full and on time. If they haven’t then they can compel the Department for Welfare, to make payments that haven’t been made or compensate those who have missed or received delayed payments.

  • A Housing watchdog: 
    • The housing watchdog would receive and then investigate complaints against either tenants or landlords. It would also ensure landlords are properly licensed. 

  • A Transport watchdog: 
    • The watchdog would deal with train delays and whether train companies should repay tickets. It could then compel train companies to repay tickets where it thinks a repayment is clearly due or the service was below standard. The powers would be devolved to each respective local government. 

  • A Justice watchdog: 
    • The justice watchdog would receive and then investigate complaints against the police or the judiciary by members of the public. It would be able to either refer issues for criminal prosecution or to recommend members of the police or judiciary step down. 

  • A Democracy watchdog: 
    • This would absorb the electoral commission and would oversee elections. The powers of this watchdog would include to monitor spending and to ensure the campaigns aren’t breaking electoral rules. It would be allowed to sanction campaigns or to refer matters to the police where there is evidence of criminal conduct. 

  • A Media watchdog: 
    • Acting as an independent press regulator (except run by government), it would adjudicate over matters relating to all aspects of the media; however, more specifically, Newspapers (both digital and physical) and Magazines. It would have remit over the following: protect individual rights, uphold high standards of journalism and help to maintain freedom of expression for the press.