The provision of legal advice has been fragmented by cuts to legal aid, according to claims by leading practitioners giving evidence to members of an All Party Parliamentary Group on the subject.
Ruth Hayes, co–chair of the Law Centres Network said the addition of funding streams targeted to assist people in particular geographic areas had affected “universal access through legal aid” leading to “real injustice.”
And added that those seeking help who were turned away were not able understand why they are not being given help when others in a similar position, but in a different borough or different age-group, continued to receive help.
“There is a real cost in turning people away – it undermines community cohesion,” she said.
She called for a legal advice strategy to replace inadequate the ‘pockets of funding’ currently available.
Her words have been echoed by cross-bencher Lord Low, who authored a report on the future of civil legal advice.
He encouraged all three major political to consider including elements of his recommendations in their manifestos for the upcoming general election.
While Shadow justice minister Andy Slaughter has accused the government of damaging the justice system and ‘depriving every part’ of it of resources.
He said a future Labour government would face by a mammoth task, if elected, that would in large part be to ‘repair the damage’ caused by the introduction of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act.