Unite has warned the weak, the vulnerable and the disadvantaged will pay the price for the coalition’s reforms of the legal aid system in England and Wales, after Justice Secretary Kenneth Clarke unveiled a programme of reform to legal aid and civil litigation costs.

Unite, the largest union in the country, said that the plans announced by Clarke would deny access to the legal aid system for those seeking help on debt, education, employment, immigration, housing, social welfare and family cases. The Government said it was to support a simpler, better and more affordable system of justice which continues to enable necessary access to justice at proportionate cost.

The Government said it was to support a simpler, better and more affordable system of justice which continues to enable necessary access to justice at proportionate cost.

Two government consultations mark the first step in a wider programme of work to radically reform and rebalance the justice system, to make it quicker, cheaper and less combative wherever possible.

The Government said the consultation on legal aid reform aims to tackle the spread of expensive and often unnecessary litigation into everyday society at the taxpayer’s expense, and bring down the £2 billion plus cost of the legal aid system in England and Wales, focusing it on those who most need help.

The civil litigation costs paper contains proposals to tackle the spiralling costs payable by people who have been sued in “no win no fee” cases, alongside other proposals to make civil costs more reasonable and proportionate.

Kenneth Clarke said: “I strongly believe that access to justice is the hallmark of a civilised society. But at more than £2 billion each year, we currently have one of the most expensive legal aid systems in the world. This cannot continue.

“Since the scheme was established in 1949 its scope has been widened far beyond what was originally intended. There has never been a substantive review of the entire system to ensure it is sustainable, proportionate and affordable.

“I believe that the taxpayer should continue to provide legal aid to those who need it most and for serious issues. But the current system can encourage lengthy, acrimonious and sometimes unnecessary court proceedings, at taxpayers’ expense, which may not always ensure the best result for those involved."

Though Rachael Maskell, Unite national officer for the Not-for-Profit sector, said: "What Ken Clarke has done is to silence the voices of the weak in British society in a brutal bid to reduce his department’s budget by 23% over the next four years."

As a result of this announcement, Unite will redouble the efforts of its Justice for All campaign to ensure that the principles of legal aid, enshrined when its was set out in 1949, are maintained, especially as the coalition’s tough austerity package of cuts starts to bite.

The Government’s £81bn worth of cuts announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review last month will heighten the need for the very legal services which are now for the chop.

Maskell added: "Ken Clarke may wish to silence the voices of hundreds of thousands of citizens seeking assistance against the injustices inflicted on them, for example, by unscrupulous landlords. However, Unite will become their standard bearer and speak out against the effects of these draconian measures."

"For those legal advice services that survive these cuts, lawyers and advisors will be severely restricted because of cost constraints as to what they can offer in the way of support."

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