The COVID-19 pandemic ‘has revealed the bankruptcy of austerity ideology’, says Patrick Allen, NLJ columnist & senior partner, Hodge, Jones & Allen
Writing in this week’s NLJ, Allen lists some of the effects of cuts to the Ministry of Justice budget in the past 10 years, for example, 164 out of 320 magistrates’ courts have been closed, the number of prison staff has been cut by 30%, the number of police has been cut by 20,600 and legal aid spending fell by 37% between 2010 and 2017.
He calls for the justice budget to be restored at least to 2010 levels. ‘Government must spend to provide essential services for its citizens,’ Allen writes. ‘Many jobs would be created and the public benefit would be enormous.’
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