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Hundreds of thousands of people are being locked out of justice because of Tory cuts to legal aid.

New figures show the number of firms offering legal aid has fallen by 20% in the last five years making it harder for people who need legal help on issues including family break up, a range of housing problems, and challenges to welfare benefits assessments

Over the same period the number of people granted legal aid for civil domestic violence claims such as protection orders, which safeguard victims from their abusers, has fallen 16%.

Amnesty International have accused the government of creating ‘two-tier justice’ system.

The number of legal aid providers in England and Wales has fallen from 2,991 to 2,393.

(Image: PA)

In Wales the number of providers has fallen by almost a third, with the South West and North West also seeing dramatic falls of 28% and 27% since the introduction of the Government’s Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) in 2012 which removed many areas of law from legal aid.

In February the government promised to publish details of a review into the Act ‘in a few months’ however no such information has yet been published.

When pressed by Shadow Justice Minister Gloria De Piero on the status of the review the government failed to respond Labour have commissioned Labour Peer Lord Bach QC to conduct their own review into the impact of the Government’s cuts to legal aid and his report will be published later this month.

Shadow Justice Minister Gloria De Piero MP said: “How much you earn shouldn’t make a difference to whether you can get legal advice on a bad landlord or a protection order against an abuser, but it’s clear that the Government’s cuts to legal aid are making it harder for people to access justice. Ministers must stop dragging their feet and get on with their review into legal aid.

(Image: Ben Pruchnie)

“Labour has commissioned Lord Bach to help find solutions to stop justice only being available to the privileged few.”

Law Society Head of Justice Richard Miller said: “Behind these figures are hundreds of thousands of people who can no longer obtain legal aid for matters such as family break up, a range of housing problems, and challenges to welfare benefits assessments. This data also calls attention to the fact that increasingly it is no longer economically viable for solicitors to do this work.

“We published our own reckoning of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) in June this year and underscored how the cuts have led to many people facing court unrepresented, in cases where lawyers would have resolved the issues without involving the court, via mediation or negotiation. In our report we highlighted advice deserts where people who are eligible for legal aid are no longer getting the help that parliament said they should be getting.

“Legal aid is a lifeline for the vulnerable and failure to get early expert legal advice can result in problems escalating dramatically, when they could have been nipped in the bud.”

Rachel Logan, Law and Human Rights Programme Director at Amnesty International UK, said: “The Government’s relentless cuts to legal aid have left thousands of society’s most vulnerable people without essential legal advice and support.

“The UK is in the process of creating a two-tier civil justice system: one which remains open to those who can afford it but is increasingly closed to the poorest and those most in need of its protection.

“The Government needs to urgently get on with its long-promised review of the impact of the cuts before the system is broken beyond repair. It’s well past time for a thorough and transparent look at what’s gone wrong, and how to fix it.

“If Theresa May really wants to deliver a country that works for everyone, then there needs to be access to justice for all – not just for those who have the deepest pockets.”

A Government spokesperson said: “Maintaining access to justice remains absolutely vital and continues to be at the heart of our reforms.

“Legal aid resources are focused on those who most need legal advice or help. We are also making wider changes which will make it easier for domestic violence victims to qualify for the financial support they need to pay for legal representation.

“In addition, the introduction of the Domestic Violence and Abuse Bill will ensure that no stone is left unturned in protecting and supporting victims and children.”