Consumer Action 2007

The things we buy in the shops, the services we use whether in a hospital or a school are central to our lives. This award is for campaigners who are fighting to get a fair deal for all.

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Winner

Debbie Crew

Crosby, Formby and District Citizens Advice Bureau

Debbie is campaigning against retaliatory evictions by private landlords and is a Policy Officer at Crosby, Formby and District Citizens Advice Bureau. Under current housing law, a private landlord can issue two months notice for any reason they choose, it cannot be defended or challenged. Debbie argues that fear of eviction is enough for people not to seek help, even if they are living in unsuitable or unsafe homes. She believes local authorities should be obliged to take a greater role in preventing homelessness.
www.seftoncab.org.uk

Finalists

Lisa Northover
Baby Milk Action

Lisa is director of Baby Milk Action, an organisation that wants to see effective and transparent controls on the marketing of formula products UK-wide. She has complained to Trading Standards and Advertising Standards about illegal and unethical marketing of baby milk products. Lisa believes that the campaign has lots of scope for growth as the campaign has attracted widespread support from breastfeeding organisations.
www.babymilkaction.org

Richard Watts
Sustain

Richard co-ordinates the Children?s Food Campaign at Sustain, part of a wider coalition of groups campaigning to create an environment where children are not exposed to messages that encourage them to eat junk food. The aim of the campaign is to improve children?s diets by: restricting the marketing and advertising of unhealthy food; improving food labelling and lobbying to ensure cooking is a compulsory part of the national curriculum so that every child leaves school with the ability to cook a simple healthy meal.
www.sustainweb.org