A new consultation has been launched into how tenants at risk of unfair eviction could benefit from a £20 million a year boost in legal aid.

The government plan is the first meaningful increase in civil legal aid fees in almost 30 years and would improve access to legal advice for those facing unfair housing battles.

It proposes to increase fees to £65/£69 per hour (non-London/London), or provide a 10% uplift, whichever is higher. Fixed fees will be uplifted by the same percentage as the increase in the underlying hourly rate for that work. The changes will be implemented in 2025-26 with costs scaling up to £20 million – an overall spending increase of 24% for housing.

Remote

The consultation also wants evidence from civil legal aid providers about improving access to remote legal advice; how they can see a higher proportion of clients remotely and reduce the requirement for providers to operate out of a permanent office, allowing greater freedom to choose how they deliver services to clients.

Justice Minister, Sarah Sackman KC (pictured) says these proposals will make a real difference to helping support quicker access to justice for those who need it most. She adds: “The evidence gathered as part of the Review of Civil Legal Aid…demonstrated that both the housing and immigration sectors are under particularly acute pressure.”

Law Society president Richard Atkinson believes the MOJ’s plans will positively impact the community by ensuring there is adequate representation for issues such as evictions and housing disrepair.

However, he adds: “While the increase in fees is promising, it must be followed up with further investment across all areas of civil legal aid such as assisting victims of domestic abuse and providing advice to help people obtain the social care that they need.”