Vulnerable people at risk of unfair eviction or homelessness
could benefit from a £20 million a year boost in legal aid as a
consultation is launched today.
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Consultation launched on additional £20 million a year
increase to help rebuild legal aid sector
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First major funding boost for civil legal aid since 1996 to
help those facing homelessness
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Increase also earmarked for immigration work to help reduce
the asylum backlog
Vulnerable people, including those who are at risk of unfair
eviction or being pushed into homelessness, could benefit from a
£20 million a year boost in legal aid as a consultation is launched
today (Friday, 24 January) as part of the Government's Plan for
Change.
This would represent the first meaningful increase in civil legal
aid fees in almost 30 years which, once fully implemented, will
improve access to legal advice for people if they face unfair
housing battles or are at risk of losing their home.
The investment, which represents a minimum 10 percent increase in
fees, will also support lawyers who provide advice to victims of
modern slavery and trafficking as well as speeding up asylum
processing. This will help the Government to deliver commitments
on reducing the asylum backlog and ending hotel use and ensure
that the most vulnerable are better able to navigate a complex
legal system and get swifter access to justice.
Justice Minister, KC, said:
Today's launch marks a crucial step towards rebuilding the legal
aid sector which has been left neglected for years.
A key part of our Plan for Change is ensuring the legal aid
sector is on a sustainable footing. These proposals will make a
real difference to helping support quicker access to justice for
those who need it most.
Today's consultation on the fee uplift marks an early step in the
Government's response to the evidence gathered as part of the
Review of Civil Legal Aid. This demonstrated that both the
housing and immigration sectors are under particularly acute
pressure.
In total, the proposals would increase the spend on fees in the
housing sector by 24 percent and for immigration and asylum work
by 30 percent.
In addition to the fee proposals, the consultation is seeking
further evidence from civil legal aid providers on improving
access to remote legal advice. Fees for other civil legal aid
categories will remain under consideration.
Last month the Government also committed to a consultation on
uplifting fees for
criminal legal aid for solicitors, having already provided a
£24 million increase in
fees for solicitors who work in police stations and youth
courts.
Further Information:
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The Government has launched a consultation on
increasing legal aid fees for those working in the housing
(housing and debt) and immigration (immigration and asylum)
sectors, proposing to increase fees to a rate in the region
of £65/£69 per hour (non-London/London), or provide a 10%
uplift, whichever is higher. Fixed fees will be uplifted by
the same percentage as the increase in the underlying hourly
rate for that work. This will be implemented in 2025-26 with
costs scaling up to £20m at steady state. This will increase
overall spend by 24% for housing and 30% for immigration.
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The Government has also published five of the
remaining reports from the Review of Civil Legal Aid:
these are the Call for Evidence Summary; User Experience
Literature Review; two Data Publications - Deep Dive reports
for Housing and Immigration; and the Overarching Report. This
evidence has informed the consultation and will continue to
shape future policy direction.
