Tens of thousands of families being denied justice by legal aid cuts, says Bar Council

The number of people receiving legal aid for family cases which go to court has dropped by 15,000 per quarter as a result of the government’s legal aid cuts, while the number of people receiving family law advice has fallen by 40,000 per quarter for the same reason, the Bar Council has revealed.

The statistics show that families across England and Wales are being denied access to justice through the legal aid cuts, fuelling criticism that the justice system in this country increasingly serves only the wealthy.

Nicholas Lavender QC, chairman of the Bar, said: "The quarterly legal aid statistics are a welcome contribution to a more transparent approach to the workings of legal aid. However, they also demonstrate the full impact of the cuts to civil legal aid, which is having a profound impact on the lives of many vulnerable people across England and Wales. We warned the Ministry of Justice that the cuts would mean that thousands of families would be denied access to justice and our prediction, sadly for those affected, has come true. The latest quarterly figures show that families facing serious issues, such as disputes concerning children, are effectively being shut out of the justice system. The human consequences of cutting a huge part of family law out of legal aid are clearly being seen."