Historic increase in legal aid to support most vulnerable
Vulnerable people who face unfair eviction or being pushed into homelessness are among those who will benefit from the first increase in civil legal aid funding in almost 30 years, the Lord Chancellor announced today (29 November 2024).
- First funding increase for civil legal aid since 1996 which will help those facing homelessness
- Proposed additional £20 million a year investment marks next step in government plans to rebuild legal aid sector
- Increase also earmarked for immigration work, including to help victims of modern slavery and trafficking, and domestic abuse
Subject to consultation, an additional £20 million will be invested into the legal aid sector every year, once fully implemented, making sure vulnerable people forced into unfair housing legal battles and at risk of losing their home have access to legal advice.
The investment will also support lawyers who provide advice to victims of modern slavery and trafficking, and domestic abuse. This will help ensure that the most vulnerable are better able to navigate a complex legal system and get access to justice.
Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood said:
Civil legal aid plays a crucial role in our justice system, providing legal support for vulnerable people thereby helping to ensure access to justice.
This Government is determined to improve the civil legal aid sector which was left neglected for years. This is an important step as we rebuild our justice system, ensuring it is fit for purpose for the society it serves and those who serve within it.
A consultation on these increases will launch in January and forms part of the government’s wider plans to make the legal aid sector more sustainable and tackle the backlog in civil courts.
Last month, it was announced that criminal legal aid will be bolstered by £24 million so 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.
Today’s fee uplift marks the first 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.
Fees for other civil legal aid categories remain under consideration.
Notes to editors
On Civil Legal Aid:
- in January 2025, the government will consult on increasing legal aid fees for those working in the housing (housing and debt) and immigration (immigration and asylum) sectors, aiming 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 an amount proportional to the increase in the underlying hourly rate for that work. This will be implemented in 2025-26 with costs scaling up to £20 million by 2027-28.
- We will continue to consider the fees paid in other categories of civil legal aid, including as part of the second phase of the Government’s spending review, due in Spring 2025.
On The Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA)
- The government is committed to ensuring the civil legal aid system is effective, efficient and sustainable.
- Evidence gathered from the Review of Civil Legal Aid think (RoCLA) presents findings on the experiences of citizens who access legal aid and the providers who deliver this vital service, and will continue to help inform policy development.
- Today the Government has published five reports from the Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA), which present evidence on some of the key challenges facing the civil legal aid system.
On Criminal Legal aid for solicitors:
- Earlier this month the government announced a £24 million injection into police station and youth court fees – £3 million more than what the previous administration proposed. Of the total investment, £18.5 million will go into the police station fee scheme to begin the process of removing financial disparities and harmonising payments. We will also introduce a separate Youth Court fee scheme into which £5.1 million will be invested. Under the new scheme there will be enhanced fees for the most serious offences.
- £0.4 million is being set aside to pay for travel time for providers in areas with fewer than two providers and the Isle of Wight, and providers willing to travel from surrounding schemes into those areas.
- Changes will come into force on 6 December 2024