The government will consult in January on proposals to increase fees for housing and immigration legal aid work to £65/£69 per hour (non-London/London), or provide a 10% uplift, whichever is higher.
The Ministry of Justice is also considering fees in other civil legal aid categories, ‘including as part of the second phase of the government’s spending review, due in Spring 2025’.
Announcing the rise this week, Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the government ‘is determined to improve the civil legal aid sector which was left neglected for years’.
Bar Council chair, Sam Townend KC said; ‘For decades the civil legal aid sector has been starved of funds to save money.
‘But the cuts have impacted access to justice for children, families and vulnerable adults, as well as increasing overall public spending costs. This money is welcome as a first step, but we know further investment will be needed.
‘We will consider the detailed proposals in the consultation and, particularly, whether the investment will be sufficient to stem the exodus of practitioners from these vital areas of work… there is a real crisis now as a result of decades of underinvestment in these sectors.’
Law Society president Richard Atkinson said the increase was ‘encouraging’ and ‘will help ease the huge asylum backlog, ensuring the efficient running of the system in a way that gets the right decision at the earliest opportunity.
‘This will ensure representation for families fighting eviction, tackling housing disrepair or a survivor of abuse seeking protection from a violent partner’.
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