Have you read the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill yet? You’re not alone. But deep within this long and complicated bill is a clause that will have a devastating impact on around 134,000 people every year, including tens of thousands of disabled people. In proposing to deny access to legal aid to people challenging welfare benefit decisions, the Government is removing a fundamental cornerstone to the British justice system – that the law is for everybody, not just the rich.
Scope, in partnership with Justice for All, is running a campaign to defeat this appalling move. We need people – thousands of people – to join our virtual House of Lords and demonstrate widespread opposition to this threat to the fundamental rights of disabled people to get legal help so they can appeal what seem to be incorrect decisions - and ensure they get the benefits they are entitled to.
Rose had her benefit cut to £18 a week because impairments she had as a result of a stroke left her struggling to understand the sort of information she needed to provide to have her benefit properly assessed.
Fortunately, Rose managed to get expert legal advice funded by legal aid. Her life was transformed and she can now afford to eat properly, pay her bills and become much more independent.
Rose is not alone. There are 78,000 disabled people like her relying on legal aid (58% of all legal aid-funded welfare benefit cases are for disabled people). Legal aid is a vital lifeline for people who risk being pushed into poverty without access to their full benefit entitlement. The Government must not be allowed to cast them adrift.
We need you – and everyone you know – to take a seat in our virtual House of Lords and demonstrate that the Government simply must think again.
Take the action and ask all your friends, family members, colleagues, even people you meet at the bus stop or in shops to do the same.
Together, we can win this. Take action on legal aid now.
We're social, follow us!