An early study into the impact of legal aid cuts in the UK's most deprived area has revealed that 91 per cent of advice-giving charities believe they are providing a lower level of service than prior to the cuts.
The charity sector provides advice services in over 4,000 sites in England, such as Citizens Advice Bureaux. But Liverpool, as the most deprived area in the country, is expected to feel a disproportionate impact from the abolition of legal aid for most social welfare matters, which came into effect from April.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool's Charity Law and Policy Unit conducted qualitative reviews with 80 advice workers in Liverpool - approximately half of the estimated number of advice workers in the city. They found that the overwhelming majority believe that their organisations are now providing a worse service for their beneficiaries, with many citing staff cuts and an influx of people in need of their services as contributing factors.
Access to welfare benefits advice is highlighted as the gravest area of concern, with 95 per cent agreeing that people need advice in this area but can’t access it. Welfare allowances are often challenged, said the report authors, who advised that: “It is not uncommon for these decisions to be incorrect. According to the National Audit Office, 38 per cent of challenges to just one benefit programme – Disability Living Allowance – have been successful. However legal aid reforms have eliminated funding for this area of work.”
One contributor told the researchers: “No funding, no specialist advice. The equation is simple.”
'Under pressure'
As a result, 98 per cent advise they feel under more pressure in their jobs, trying to meet the needs of their clients. In addition respondents advise that the funding cuts have led to increased waiting times and a severe reduction in the ability to refer clients to other services if they are unable to help. “We’re all in the same boat,” said one respondent, by way of explanation.
Another side-effect is the implementation of restrictions on services provided by the organisations, for instance reducing the catchment area eligible for support, or cutting the availability of face-to-face time in favour of telephone advice.
The report claims that this all results in an escalating scale of inefficiency with workers advising they are now incapable of assisting early intervention, ultimately leading to higher costs.
Overall 91 per cent of charity advice workers said that funding cuts had made the quality of assistance they are able to provide worse, with 50 per cent saying they now provide a “much worse” service.
The authors say the study has supported predictions that legal aid reforms would have a very negative impact on the provision of advice services.
The cuts have already claimed victims. Eight Shelter offices and 100 of the charity's staff are told to be under threat as a direct result of an expected 50 per cent cut in its legal aid funding. Citizens Advice Bureaux across the country were also poised to make redundancies ahead of the cuts.
Transition funding of £54m for advice services was made available last year, with BIG announcing the recipients last month. But charities up and down the country participated in demonstrations against the cuts last week, to coincide with the closure of the government's consultation on the legal aid reforms.
