More than 1,000 legal aid solicitors took to the streets this week to protest against proposed changes to the legal aid system that they say will hit the poorest members of society.
The Access to Justice Alliance (AJA), a coalition of advice organisations including Citizens Advice, the Law Centres Federation, Shelter and the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, were lobbying Parliament to ask for a review of government proposals for legal aid reform. Keith Vaz and Frank Dobson were among MPs addressing the group.
The demonstrators argue that legal aid amounts to less than 0.5% of government expenditure, that the budget is ‘remarkably stable’, that legal aid rates have lost 23% of their value after a 10-year price freeze, and that the resulting exodus of firms from legal aid has created access difficulties in housing and social welfare law advice.
Legal Action Group policy director Michael MacNeil says: “We are currently discussing future action we can take to protest.” This is likely to take place in May.
Alison Hannah, chair of AJA,
