Law centre free advice under threat (From Bury Times)

Law centre free advice under threat

10:36am Thursday 24th May 2007

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BURY Law Centre staff say they may no longer be able to give free advice if proposed changes to the legal aid system get the go-ahead.

They led legal workers from Stockport, Oldham, Trafford, Salford and Wythenshawe in a parade through Manchester city centre and handed leaflets to passers-by during a visit by Lord Falconer, head of the new Ministry of Justice.

The protest was part of a national campaign to raise awareness of plans currently going through parliament which would affect people seeking free legal advice.

Among the proposals are paying legal aid providers a fixed fee for each case, regardless of how long it takes to complete, and introducing competitive tendering for all legal aid contracts within two years.

But not-for-profit organisations and law firms believe that this will lead to many private practices refusing to do legal aid work and voluntary sector groups closing down because of a lack of money.

Kevin Miles, supervising solicitor at the Bank Street centre, said: "The issue being raised is that legal aid is a safety net already stretched very tight. The proposed changes, which are intended to cut costs, will one way or another make holes in it. The people who fall through are likely to include the most vulnerable, who need more help to use a service, establish their case and resolve their problem. In the future, we may not be able to give free advice because, under current projections, the organisation would no longer be sustainable from next year.

"We support the principle of effective use of public funds and of encouraging closer working links between providers, in the interest of the client. In practice, we are not clear how the proposals can actually achieve this in smaller metropolitan areas like Bury."

Law centre staff are urging people to contact their MP to give their views on the plans before the plans are given the go-ahead. Mr Miles said: "Our aim is to draw people's attention to the debate and point them to the sources of information on both sides so they can make up their own minds."

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