Major charities sign joint letter on legal aid

Thirty-one charities, advice and legal organisations including Scope, Mencap, Mind, Citizens Advice, Shelter, Liberty, the Methodist Church, the Bar Council and the Law Society, have signed a joint letter calling for Peers to consider carefully the impact of the cuts to legal aid on individuals. They point out that over 78,000 disabled people and 140,000 children will be denied help if the Bill goes through.

It comes after yesterday's launch of independent research from Kings College London showing that over half of government's proposed savings will be wiped out as costs are just passed on to other departments.

Today the Legal Aid Bill is debated in the House of Lords as peers return for the second day of Committee Stage. Please join 38 degrees' campaign to email Lord McNally, and join Scope's virtual House of Lords to protest against the changes.

Full text of letter:

Peers must consider carefully who stands to lose from the Government’s proposed cuts to legal advice, as they are debated in the House of Lords today. Amongst others, 78,000 disabled people will no longer receive help with complex legal problems as a result of cuts to benefits advice, and 140 000 children will suffer as their parents are deemed ineligible for legal aid.

This ‘law of everyday life’ for issues such as benefits, debt, housing and employment is complex and legal, covered by dozens of lengthy statutes and hundreds of pages of guidance.

Legal aid is at the heart of successful community advice agencies, such as Citizens Advice Bureaux and Law Centres, which either include legal aid within their own provision or refer clients on to nearby solicitors.

Advice on these issues saves the state money as it prevents problems escalating. Legal aid for civil justice does not - as Ken Clarke claims - encourage people to go to court. In fact, over 90% of legal help cases are resolved before they get that far.

Peers from all parties have expressed their unease over the cuts to advice for social welfare law. We urge them to protect legal aid where it matters most - to people on low incomes struggling with complex and serious problems, unable to resolve them without specialist help.

Amanda Ariss, Chief Executive, Equality and Diversity Forum
Geraldine Blake, Chief Executive, Community Links
Ailsa Bosworth, Chief Executive, National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society
Katie Brown and Connor Johnston, Co-chairs, Young Legal Aid Lawyers
Shami Chakrabarti, Director, Liberty
Elizabeth Clarson, Chief Executive, Housing for Women
Sophie Corlett, Head of External Relations, Mind
Jue Frangos, Communications Officer, Open University Law Society
Alison Garnham, Chief Executive, Child Poverty Action Group
Mark Goldring, Chief Executive, Mencap
Gillian Guy, Chief Executive, Citizens Advice
Richard Hawkes, Chief Executive, Scope
Ruth Hayes, Chair, Law Centres Federation
Des Hudson, Chief Executive, Law Society
Steve Hynes, Chief Executive, Legal Action Group
Sarah Jackson, Chief Executive, Working Families
Cathy James, Chief Executive, Public Concern at Work
Steve Johnson, Chief Executive, Advice UK
Ann Lewis, Director, Advice Services Alliance
Rachel Maskel, National Officer, Unite
Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director, Age UK
Rev Leo Osborn, President of the Methodist Church
Habib Rahman, Chief Executive, Joint Council for the Welfare of Immigrants
Barbara Rayment, Director, Youth Access
Campbell Robb, Chief Executive, Shelter
Frieda Schicker. Director, London Gypsy and Traveller Unit
Emma Scott, Director, Rights of Women
Mike Smith, Chief Executive, Livability
Carol Storer, Director, Legal Aid Practitioners Group
Michael Todd QC, Chairman of the Bar
Fraser Whitehead, Chairman, Society of Labour Lawyers