header-logo header-logo

Decline and fall of legal aid

21 February 2024
Issue: 8060 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
printer mail-detail
Up to 90% of the population are unable to access legal aid in certain areas, a series of interactive maps published by the Law Society has revealed

The maps, updated this week, are compiled from the Legal Aid Agency’s directory of legal aid providers. They show the availability of legal aid providers in housing, welfare, education, community care and immigration practice areas across different parts of the country. Availability is particularly sparse in the South West, North, North East and East, in Wales, and in the South and South East outside of London.

According to figures gathered by the Law Society, 53 million people (90%) across England and Wales do not have access to a local education legal aid provider, and 50 million people (85%) have no access to a local welfare legal aid provider.

Some 42 million people (71%) have no access to a local community care legal aid provider, and more than 37 million people (63%) do not have access to a local immigration and asylum legal aid provider.

In the area of housing, 26 million people (44%) can’t access a legal aid provider.

Law Society president Nick Emmerson said: ‘In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, this is a serious concern.

‘It would not take a huge sum of money in terms of overall public expenditure to tackle the crisis and the savings in other areas from solving people’s problems early would more than offset the cost.’

Law Society-commissioned research by Frontier Economics found 100% of housing legal aid providers are loss-making—published last week in the Law Society’s interim report, ‘Research on the sustainability of civil legal aid’. The full report, and the interactive maps, have been submitted to the Ministry of Justice’s call for evidence to its review of civil legal aid, which closed this week.

Issue: 8060 / Categories: Legal News , Profession
printer mail-details

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Birketts—trainee cohort

Birketts—trainee cohort

Firm welcomes new cohort of 29 trainee solicitors for 2025

Keoghs—four appointments

Keoghs—four appointments

Four partner hires expand legal expertise in Scotland and Northern Ireland

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Brabners—Ben Lamb

Real estate team in Yorkshire welcomes new partner

NEWS
Robert Taylor of 360 Law Services warns in this week's NLJ that adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) risks entrenching disadvantage for SME law firms, unless tools are tailored to their needs
The Court of Protection has ruled in Macpherson v Sunderland City Council that capacity must be presumed unless clearly rebutted. In this week's NLJ, Sam Karim KC and Sophie Hurst of Kings Chambers dissect the judgment and set out practical guidance for advisers faced with issues relating to retrospective capacity and/or assessments without an examination
Delays and dysfunction continue to mount in the county court, as revealed in a scathing Justice Committee report and under discussion this week by NLJ columnist Professor Dominic Regan of City Law School. Bulk claims—especially from private parking firms—are overwhelming the system, with 8,000 cases filed weekly
Charles Pigott of Mills & Reeve charts the turbulent progress of the Employment Rights Bill through the House of Lords, in this week's NLJ
From oligarchs to cosmetic clinics, strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs) target journalists, activists and ordinary citizens with intimidating legal tactics. Writing in NLJ this week, Sadie Whittam of Lancaster University explores the weaponisation of litigation to silence critics
back-to-top-scroll