With evictions and home repossessions on the rise, many people are relying on legal aid as a last resort. The Law Society of England and Wales is calling on the UK government to broaden the availability of legal aid urgently.
The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice indicate a significant increase in mortgage possession claims, which are up 28% (from 4,035 to 5,182), and landlord possession claims, which have grown by 6% (from 23,389 to 24,874) compared with the same period last year. Orders issued by landlords have also gone up by 3%, reaching 18,154.
Nick Emmerson, president of the Law Society, expressed concern over the growing threat of homelessness for many people.
“As many struggle with the rising cost of living and increased interest rates, keeping up with rent and mortgage payments becomes challenging and puts them in jeopardy of losing their homes. Legal aid is often their sole beacon of hope, yet it is frequently inaccessible,” he said.
“Our studies show that 42% of the population, about 25.3 million people, lack access to a local legal aid provider for housing issues.
“Consequently, the government’s effort to boost housing advice through the Housing Loss Prevention Advice Service can only be moderately effective. The diminishing number of law firms that can afford to provide this advice, due to a nearly 50% cut in legal aid rates since 1996, exacerbates the issue.
“The areas needing immediate attention are apparent, and the government must urgently take action to prevent the homelessness rate from escalating,” Emmerson stressed.
