The prestigious Judges’ Council, has warned the proposed £350m legal aid cuts could cost the public purse more in the long run than they save due to increased court costs.
The Council, which is chaired by the Lord Chief Justice and represents all levels of the judiciary, said the cuts would have “serious implications” for the quality of justice while the “huge” rise in numbers of litigants in person, unable to afford legal representation, would clog up the courts. This was at a time when the courts were already coping with “closures, budgetary cutbacks and reductions in staff numbers”.
“There is a real question whether the cost savings arising from the proposed cutbacks in the scope of civil and family legal aid would be offset by the additional costs imposed on the system by dealing with the increase in litigants in person,” the Council said.
It said the family courts would be particularly badly hit.
