Criminal legal aid solicitors were due to file their tenders for police station and magistrates’ court duty contracts this week, ahead of the General Election on 7 May.
The solicitors face a further 8.75% cut in their fees for duty solicitor work. Labour has pledged to abolish the contracts if it gains power. It has also pledged an extra £10m for legal aid for victims of domestic violence, which would be used to lower the threshold for entitlement to legal aid as well as other evidential reforms in domestic violence cases. Its other pledges on legal aid include overhauling the exceptional funding scheme for all cases.
The Liberal Democrats have promised a full review of civil legal aid. The Conservatives intend to continue with their existing policies on legal aid. None of the parties have promised to review the controversial new court fees, which have hiked fees by as much as 600% in some cases.
