Legal Aid Lawyers say ‘Business as usual’
Many Travellers Times readers will have seen mention in the media of the bringing into force of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 on 1st April 2013. There has been a lot of concern over the detrimental effects of the cuts to legal aid and in particular the fact that it will no longer be available to cover many cases e.g. the vast majority of welfare benefits and debt advice, to name but two areas.
These changes recently led Sir Alan Ward, a Court of Appeal judge, to state:
We may have to accept that we live in austere times, but as I come to the end of eighteen years service in this court, I shall not refrain from expressing my conviction that justice will be ill served indeed by this emasculation of legal aid.
However, for legal aid lawyers who advise Gypsies and Travellers it will be business as usual as the following matters will remain within scope for legal aid:
- Evictions from unauthorised encampments;
- Evictions from rented sites;
- High Court planning appeals
- High Court and County Court planning injunctions;
- Homelessness;
- Serious disrepair on rented sites;
- Harassment and anti-social behaviour injunctions;
- Judicial review challenges (e.g. to stop notices, direct action, allocations decisions and other decisions taken by local authorities and other public authorities).
The TAT operates a self-funded national telephone advice line for Gypsies and Travellers in England and Wales. The line is available on 0121 685 8677 and is available Monday to Friday 9 am to 5pm.
Please contact the TAT about any of the matters listed above and a member of the Team will be happy to assist.
By Chris Johnson of the Travellers Advice Team (TAT) at Community Law Partnership (CLP) and Marc Willers of Garden Court Chambers.