You walk into work this morning, and your boss calls you in for a meeting. He suspends you for an allegation you deny. Within a week, after an investigation and a disciplinary meeting, you are sacked.
You begin to plan in the midst of this disaster. You speak to insurance companies for the products you took out to protect you if you lost your job. However, the PPI company use the small print to deny your claim.
Your meagre savings run out very quickly. You speak to the DWP, who deny you access to any benefits. The correspondence from them is confusing, and the reason is not clear. The appeal process looks tortuous.
Your debt problems begin to mount up. Creditors are ringing you several times a day. You are robbing Peter to pay Paul, and missing meals as you can’t afford them.
In the midst of this stressful situation, your spouse leaves you, taking the kids. You are told you won’t be allowed to see them again.
Under current government legal aid proposals you will NOT be able to get legal aid in these circumstances from some time in 2013. The most you will be able to do is attend mediation with your spouse. They can refuse to negotiate in that process, leaving you with no contact with the kids.
The first time you will be able to see a legal aid adviser will be just before your home is repossessed. Seeing as you can’t get help to challenge the DWP decision (who lose many appeals on their decisions), you don’t have any income, and can’t save your home. In other words it’s too late.
CABs and other advisers are largely funded by legal aid. They are also facing funding cuts from most local authorities. Many already have long waiting lists for advice. They also save the state thousands of pounds by making sure employers pay wages owed; insurers pay out on policies, the DWP pay benefits, all of which go to saving someone’s home.
If this matters to you, then please sign up to the campaign to save legal aid at www.soundoffforjustice.org. We have.
By consumer solicitor and Stephensons Partner, Andrew Leakey