Mass Justice Lobby – Organised by the Access to Justice Alliance (AJA)

Campaigners concerned about the future of legal aid are targeting Westminster to lobby Parliament for better access to justice. A mass lobby is to take place on the afternoon of Wednesday 24th May.

Advisers, lawyers and people working in legal and advice services as well as users of the services from all over the country will descend on Parliament to express their concerns about the current crisis in legal aid. The AJA has notified MPs and hopefully many people will be able to express their concerns to their MP in person. Those who cannot attend have been writing to their MPs.

Later that day, there will be a panel discussion in the Wilson Room at Portcullis House from 5pm to 7pm, where distinguished commentators Vera Baird QC MP, Oliver Heald MP, Simon Hughes MP, Steve Hynes Director of the Law Centres Federation and Alison Hannah of Legal Action Group will debate the subject: ‘A loss to the community – civil legal aid in crisis’.

The AJA are highlighting that legal aid spending on debt, housing, family and employment problems has declined by 22 per cent, that bureaucracy has caused a mass exodus of lawyers and advisers from providing legal aid, and that the most vulnerable and most socially excluded people are unable to access their rights as result. The cost to the economy of unresolved personal legal problems is as much as £13 billion, and research has demonstrated that a third of the population have unresolved legal problems at any one time.

Carol Storer Chair of AJA said:

“This mass lobby shows that there is a very real concern among those working in the sector that access to justice is being eroded because of the short-changing of civil legal aid. Lord Falconer, the Lord Chancellor, recently confirmed that civil legal aid spending has fallen by 22 per cent since 1997. As a result, we are seeing more and more people who live in advice deserts – areas where it is simply impossible to gain access to civil legal aid.”

The Access to Justice Alliance is a campaigning alliance supported by community groups, national charities, lawyers, advisers and others. Its membership includes: Liberty, Citizens Advice, Advice UK, Child Poverty Action Group, Shelter, Advice Services Alliance, the Law Centres Federation and almost 30 other organisations.

Its aims include:

• Making sure that the whole legal aid system is properly resourced so that both criminal and civil work can operate within a realistic budget
• Protect the civil legal aid budget so that it cannot be used to cover rising expenditure on criminal legal aid
• Ensure that local authorities contribute to the appropriate funding of independent advice services in their area
• Constantly review eligibility criteria to ensure all people have access to justice, regardless of their means.

For further information please contact:
Carol Storer: 0207 505 2213 or mobile 07961 889 579
James Sandbach: 02078337007 or mobile 07967 737 405