At great human cost - loss of legal aid:

 At great human cost - loss of legal aid:

Legal aid in the UK has been severely restricted, especially for civil matters, due to a combination of government policy changes, funding cuts, and ideological shifts over the past decade. Here’s a breakdown of why serious civil matters often don’t qualify for legal aid anymore:

1. Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO)

This is the single most important reason. LASPO drastically cut the scope of legal aid in England and Wales. Many types of civil cases were removed from eligibility, including:

Most family law matters (unless there's domestic abuse)

Housing issues (unless there’s risk of homelessness)

Employment disputes

Immigration (unless there's asylum or human rights concerns)

Debt and welfare benefits issues (except in very limited circumstances)

Even serious and life-altering matters were deemed "not serious enough" to warrant state-funded legal support.

2. Ideological Shift Toward “Personal Responsibility”

Governments over the last decade (especially the coalition government from 2010 onward) framed legal aid as a "cost-saving" measure. There was an ideological push that individuals should take more personal responsibility for legal matters and that the state should only step in where absolutely necessary.

3. Underfunding and Shrinking Legal Aid Providers

Even where legal aid technically exists, it’s often impossible to access:

Fewer solicitors/firms offer legal aid because of poor remuneration

Legal aid “deserts” have emerged, especially in rural areas or small towns

Application processes are complex and intimidating, particularly for vulnerable people

4. Austerity Measures and Budget Cuts

The legal aid budget was slashed as part of wider austerity measures. Civil legal aid was seen as a low political priority compared to healthcare, education, or police.

5. The Justice Gap

There is now a huge justice gap — people with serious legal issues are left to represent themselves or go without justice. Vulnerable individuals (disabled people, survivors of abuse, migrants) are disproportionately affected.

There used to be much wider access to civil legal aid in the UK, but it was gutted by LASPO 2012 and subsequent cuts. The government deliberately restricted it to only the most extreme cases (and even those are hard to access) under the guise of saving money and promoting self-reliance — but at great human cost.

Sarah Wingfield 🌹