12/01/2018 “More and more families and individuals are finding themselves in positions where access to the law is being denied them, at precisely the time when they are most in need of it. Universal Credit, the denial of employment rights through zero hours contracts and minimum wage infringements and a hardening of this government’s stance against refugees and asylum seekers all make the [Greater Manchester] Bolton Law Centre urgent and necessary. I welcome and support the initiative whole-heartedly.”
05/12/2017 “The survival of so many law centres is one of the brightest features of the present gloomy scene. In another appendix to our report I describe how the number of law centres grew from two in 1970 to 34 in 1980 and 62 in 1991. …”Many other law centres have had to reduce the services they can provide, and they can now help fewer people. On average, law centres lost 40% of their income between 2010 and 2015 (including a cut of over 60% in their legal aid revenue as a direct result of LASPO). Only one in three people now obtain the help and assistance they need.”
Since 2013-4, however, the numbers have held more or less steady, despite the additional pressures caused by the local authority spending cuts. And they are now creeping up again with the establishment of the new centres in Greater Manchester and Ipswich, and, hopefully, the new initiatives in Haringey and Lewisham – and elsewhere, perhaps.” From a talk at the Hackney Law Centre AGM
“I fully support the idea of the Greater Manchester Law Centre and congratulate all those involved in getting it off the ground. I am very worried that my constituents are finding it harder and harder to get access to justice and are more and more vulnerable to exploitation by unscrupulous employers. This initiative is of crucial importance and has my complete backing.”
“As a Barrister I have long believed that it is the responsibility of any government to ensure access to justice as part of the rule of law. Publically-funded law should stand in equal importance to our priorities on NHS, housing and education. Tragically it is a responsibility that our government has failed to acknowledge since introducing its legal aid reforms, which inevitably have hurt the most vulnerable in our society. I know, from the hundreds of people who contact me, how difficult life has become for many in the Greater Manchester area. Many are facing serious debts, or the threat of homelessness, and others can simply not afford to speak to a solicitor. That’s why I’m so pleased to hear about the launch of the Greater Manchester Law Centre, a service that will provide invaluable advice and representation to the people who need it most.”
