Access to legal system blocked by delays to civil aid reform, campaigners warn

The warning comes after Justice Plan 2022 altered the timeline of a promised review

Stephanie Lord, a legal and policy officer with the Free Legal Advice Centres (Flac), which provides free and confidential legal advice to the public, said she was “dismayed” that the review had not yet commenced.

Families are being blocked from accessing the legal system due to a delay in reforming the civil legal aid process, campaigners have warned.

The warning came after Justice Plan 2022, which was published two weeks ago, altered the timeline of a promised review of the civil legal aid system.

The 2021 plan had committed to commencing a review in quarter three of last year but this year’s plan states that “progress” on the review will ...