£477m has been allocated to the criminal justice backlog, while £324m will go towards reducing backlogs in the civil, family and tribunal jurisdictions, and £200m will go towards the Ministry of Justice court reform programme.
Law Society president I Stephanie Boyce said: ‘We have long warned the civil legal aid sector is in a precarious state and urgent action needs to be taken―to give confidence and security to civil providers in the medium-term and to help them survive while a more lasting solution is found.
‘The thresholds for means-tested legal aid will increase, which will expand access to justice for those who cannot afford it. We have long campaigned for this change, which means that millions more should be able to access justice in our courts. We are also optimistic that improvements are on the horizon for criminal legal aid.’
Derek Sweeting QC, Bar Council chair, said it was ‘a step in the right direction but there will still be a shortfall of funding to tackle the justice crisis, restore public confidence and reduce the backlogs in our courts and tribunals’.
The Chancellor announced £11.5bn for up to 180,000 affordable homes. The Budget also contained a £500m Household Support Fund to help families struggling with the cost of living this winter, and £65m to help local councils support low-income renters in arrears.
Tim Foley, partner, Fladgate, said: ‘The package should be welcomed by landlords and tenants alike.
‘Tenants who have seen their personal finances and earnings hit over the past 18 months will stand a better chance of avoiding eviction due to accumulated rent arrears, with local councils given more funds to provide essential financial support. Landlords will welcome the increased chance of recovering those arrears at a time of great uncertainty for rent collection.’
Sunak announced a Scale-up visa for highly skilled workers from abroad. Guy Wilmot, partner, Russell-Cooke, said it ‘would be welcomed but does come with various eligibility criteria including a 20% growth rate over three years and at least ten employees.’
Bhavneeta Limbachia, immigration solicitor at Russell-Cooke, said the visa would ‘focus on providing UK scale-up businesses with the best talent to support economic growth.
‘The new visa is welcomed as we hope it will go at least some way in offsetting the skills shortage caused by ending free movement, which many businesses are still grappling with. In time, we will assess whether the introduction of this new visa will be integral in meeting the government’s objective in making the UK the global hub for innovation by 2035.’
