Free legal advice, because your rights matter.
Free legal advice, because your rights matter.
Liberal Democrat party conference yesterday called on government to retain legal aid for people appealing welfare benefit decisions, as they voted through a motion condemning government’s welfare reform plans.
The Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders bill which is currently going through parliament will remove legal help for all welfare benefits cases, including for people appealing against government decisions, for example on disability benefits. This will come into force at the same time as radical changes to the welfare system, which are also being debated in Parliament this month.
The amendment to the motion, which was accepted, calls “for Government to reconsider the exclusion of welfare benefits casework such as this from the scope of legal aid.” In the debate, Liberal Democrat members pointed out that 40% of appeals on Employment and Support Allowance are successful, and that legal help and representation increases the chance of a successful appeal. The vote yesterday follows a motion at the Liberal Democrat Spring Conference condemning the legal aid changes, and disquiet among Liberal Democrat members over the Bill.
Cutting legal aid for welfare benefits will disproportionately effect disabled people - 58% of those affected by the change are disabled, 78,000 people a year. A Justice for All briefing, endorsed by major disability charities, has more details.
The Liberal Democrat stance sends a powerful statement to government, and we hope Lib Dem MPs and Peers will be strongly arguing for this change to the Bill when Parliament returns after party conference season.