Concerns over legal aid services in Hartlepool

The figures come as the Law Society warned that large areas of England and Wales have no access to some forms of legal aid.

Legal aid is given to those who cannot afford it to cover the costs of advice, mediation and representation – with funding ultimately coming from the Government.

Data from the Legal Aid Agency shows there were just five legal aid providers in Hartlepool as of February – with none providing education law or welfare and benefits services.

The North East has one legal aid provider for every 16,141 people.

The Law Society has warned key areas of law such as education, welfare, community care, immigration and housing are suffering from a lack of free legal advice – estimating that 53 million people nationally, 90% of the population, do not have access to a local legal aid provider for education, and 84% of the population do not have access to one for welfare and benefits issues.

The Law Society said a 2012 law which cut the availability of legal aid has had a disastrous impact on the ability of victims to seek justice, with funding for free support drying up in many areas.

The number of legal aid cases dropped from more than 900,000 in 2009-10 to 130,000 in 2021-22, while the number of people going to court without representation trebled.

Law Society president Lubna Shuja said: “For rights to be real, everyone who qualifies for state-funded legal advice must be able to get that advice when they need it, so that they can uphold and enforce their rights.

“The survival of these services is in the balance. People can’t get the legal support they need, when they need it.”

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Everyone in England and Wales can access legal help and advice either face-to-face or through the Civil Legal Aid telephone service.

“Last year, we invested £813m to make sure civil legal aid gets to those who need it most and are reviewing the sector to ensure the system is sustainable.”