£24 million boost for criminal legal aid to support most vulnerable
Criminal legal aid will be bolstered by £24 million, as part of government work to tackle crisis in the justice system and keep courts running.
- additional funding for criminal legal aid work in police stations and Youth Courts
- first step in government plans to support the sustainability of the criminal legal aid sector
The Lord Chancellor, Shabana Mahmood, confirmed that solicitors who work in police stations and Youth Courts will be backed with additional funding, helping to address ongoing challenges in the criminal justice system.
This includes a £18.5 million boost for legal aid work undertaken in police stations. Access to justice is a cornerstone of our justice system and is fundamental to getting criminal cases through the courts and getting our justice system moving again.
There will also be an additional £5.1 million invested in Youth Court legal aid work for the most serious offences, to reflect the severity and complexity involved.
Alongside this, solicitors who work or commute to work in areas with fewer than 2 legal aid providers, as well as the Isle of Wight, will have their travel time reimbursed.
These measures will begin to stabilise the legal aid sector that has been left in dire straits. They mark start of this government’s work to support the sustainability of the justice system both now and in future.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood said:
Criminal legal aid solicitors play a crucial role in our justice system, often carrying out incredibly complex work in challenging circumstances.
This Government is determined to improve the criminal legal aid sector which was left neglected for years. This is the first step to stabilising the sector and ensuring that those who take on these cases are properly compensated for their work.
The fee uplifts were proposed in January after the Criminal Legal Aid Independent Review (CLAIR) found that existing police station and youth court fee schemes no longer reflected the complexity of the work carried out by today’s legal profession.
Police station work often takes place at short notice during anti-social hours and the previous fee system was complicated and outdated. This funding will increase the lowest fees and start the process of simplifying the different police station pay schemes, making the system easier to navigate.
Youth Court work can deal with complicated trials involving organised crime and sexual assault, so this pay boost will also enable solicitor firms to better serve the children and teenagers they represent.
Today’s (14 November 2024) announcement comes alongside the publication of the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board’s annual report, which makes several recommendations for how the criminal legal aid system can be improved, including fee increases.
The future of criminal legal aid fees is still being considered as the Lord Chancellor takes decisions on how to use her Budget to deliver her agenda.
Notes to editors
- changes will come into force on 6 December
- £5.1 million has been allocated to increase the pay for solicitors taking on youth court legal aid work for the most serious offences by £598.59 per case
- police station fees will increase for the lowest London and non-London fees at a cost of £18.5 million
- £400,000 is being set aside to pay for travel time for providers in areas with fewer than 2 providers and the Isle of Wight, and providers willing to travel from surrounding schemes into those areas.