Poverty, Welfare Reforms and
Advice Services
London for All - London
Voluntary Sector Forum
Spring conference 2014
Wesley Harcourt
Cuts to Advice Services
• Legal Aid cuts – LASPO
– MOJ says £89m lost from Social Welfare law advice or 238,820 cases
• Cuts to immigration services
– No longer in scope for legal aid – LAs refusing to fund immigration
advice
• Local authority Cuts
– Cabinet office predicts that £220m for the advice sector in 2010/11
will fall to £160m in 2015/16
• EHRC – no longer funding advice services
• London Councils Grants Scheme
– Cut from £27m reduced to £9.4m in current round
• RBK&C – sector has lost 30% of its funding
Unprecedented demand for
advice
• Civil Legal Advice - 300% increase in debt
referrals
• Toynbee Hall running at 20% above target
• 78% AdviceUK members report 10%+ increase
• Shelter – 40% increase in calls last year (80%
over last three years)
• Citizens Advice reports 18% increase in
demand
Drivers of increased demand
• Welfare reforms:
– UC, PIP, ESA, Bedroom Tax, Council Tax Benefit,
Housing Benefit cap, Welfare Benefits cap
• System failure – Nottingham 30% of demand
is due to system failure
• 35% of Welfare Benefit Appeals are successful
• ESA appeals - about 50% success rate
• Fitness for work assessments – 39% success
Drivers for increased demand
• Sutton CAB saw demand for welfare benefits
advice treble in last three years
• Austerity measures
• Cuts in grants to local authorities
– Average cuts from Government 2.9% in 2014
• Debt issues
– MAS says 9m in serious debt
– People on low pay highest for 30 years
The Low Commission
Set up in 2012 –
6 key recommendations:
• Public legal Education
• Reduce preventable demand – polluter pays
• Courts and Tribunals
• National Strategy for Advice & Legal Support
• Local Advice and Legal Support plans
• National Advice and legal Support Fund
Campaigns for advice
• Justice 4 all campaign
– Coalition of legal and advice agencies, community
groups, not-for-profit organisations, trade unions,
politicians and members of the public
– Petitions, day of action, demonstrations
• London Councils grants scheme – consultation
2009 and 2011
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Demonstration
Letters to grants committee/leaders committee
On line petition
Legal challenge
Influencing Funders
• LVSC developing a co-ordinated funding
strategy for London
• AdviceUK meeting with Director of London
Funders
• Sector meetings with Cabinet Office
• BAN invited Big Lottery to attend its last
network meeting
• Regular contact with funders
Contacting MPs and Councillors
• MP’s details are on the Parliament website:
www.parliament.uk or 020 7219 4272
• Respond to Government consultations
• Lobbying MPs
• Petitions to the House of Commons
• Local Councillors’ details on council website
• Attend their advice surgeries
• Elections coming up…