Legal Aid – a halt to cuts?

In October, The Trade Union Congress produced a detailed report on the provision of Legal Aid for UK citizens. The report confirms a 99% reduction in individuals seeking Legal Help (a form of public funding), for debt cases, (public funding for which is now only available through a telephone gateway system). The report also outlines limited access to public funding for women suffering from domestic violence. As a result of government reforms since 2013, women must now provide substantive evidence to prove the violence perpetrated against them. The TUC, along with other organisations and professionals, have asked the Government to put further cuts on hold until they conduct their own review of the impact of Legal Aid changes to date. Let’s hope they succeed in their efforts.