Advice services are in crisis
A threefold change is causing a crisis to the provision of free legal advice.
- Legal Aid is being cut in April 2013 for many areas of social welfare law, including housing, employment, benefits, debt and immigration.
- Many advice organisations, both in the voluntary and public sectors, are facing further funding cuts and reductions in their services.
- At the same time major changes have started to the welfare benefits system and a range of other social rights and will gather pace in the next two years.
These changes will cause severe hardship for agreat many people, with the greatest impact on the most vulnerable groups. The cuts in advice services are coming at the worst possible time, as the need for advice massively increases.
‘Free Legal Advice in Crisis’ – one day conference
Access to Advice are organising this conference:
- to bring together everyone concerned with these matters locally, regionally, nationally
- to share ideas and experience for camapigning for future publicly funded legal advice services.
Your contributions and suggestions will be welcome throughout the day.
The Conference themes
- The Big Picture
- Our Communities
- Campaigns and tactics
- Arguments for future free legal advice services.
The day will be a mix of lead speakers, discussions and workshop sessions.
Lead Speakers
Steve Hynes, Director of the Legal Action Group
Julie Bishop, Director of the Law Centres Network
Lord Bach, leading the opposition to the legal aid cuts in the House of Lords
Will be speaking on the current situation, and ways to argue for and campaign about the need for publicly funded legal advice services.
Workshops
Will discuss particular consequences on the reduction of free legal advice, and lead discussions on future responses to advice needs for key groups and issues:
- Disability and Sickness
- Housing, Employment and Unemployment
- Migrants and BME Communities
- Family and Debt
When and Where
The free conference will be held:
on Saturday 9 February 2013, 10am to 4pm
at Friends Meeting House, Mount Street, Manchester. M2 5NS
The venue is accessible by wheelchair. If you have any particular advice needs, please let us know and we will endeavour to meet them.
Please book a place by emailing: accesstoadvice2013@gmail.com
You can also view or download a copy of the conference flyer below.
[gview file=”http://staging.unisonmanchester.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Legal-Aid-in-Crisis-Conference-9-Feb-2013.pdf”]
