Labour will restore legal aid for benefits appeals if it wins power, the shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon will announce, according to the Guardian.
As well as solicitors firms, many advice agencies relied on legal aid payments to fund the work of welfare rights workers representing clients at social security appeals.
In 2012-13 91,431 claimants got legal aid for help with benefits.
However, following the coalition’s cuts to legal aid, that number dropped to just 478 in 2017-18.
So, whilst the DWP have spent more than £100 million on ESA and PIP appeals since 2015 in an effort to cut claimants benefits, virtually nothing has been spent on supporting claimants to make what are often complex legal arguments.
Nonetheless, claimants continue to win the majority of appeals.
Labour has estimated it would cost £18 million a year to restore legal aid to benefits claimants.
You can read the full story in the Guardian.
