Govt will make changes to free legal services

The UK government will proceed with its plan to reduce the budget for free legal services by millions of pounds, which many fear could leave people unable to afford legal advice.

Ministers have announced that legal aid will no longer be available for many employment law, clinical negligence and family cases in England and Wales, although will still be in place for criminal cases.

Speaking out against the cuts, Alison Garnham, chief executive of the Child Poverty Action Group, told the Mirror: "The plans spell disaster for people reliant on advice services."

A number of high-profile people, including Michael Sheen and Joanna Lumley, have also added their support to the campaign to stop the government making cuts to free legal services.

Now, it appears that the government could make alterations so that only people with disposable assets of less than £1,000 can qualify for free legal advice.

It wants people to opt for different methods to resolve issues, such as mediation.

Published by Hannah Carr