The Ministry of Justice’s legal aid cuts could end up costing the taxpayer more than they save, a “forensic” Bar Council investigation has shown.
A multi-disciplined working party of leading QCs, statisticians, economists, and academics appointed by the Bar Council examined the government’s proposals on legal aid.
Stephen Cobb QC, chairman of the Family Law Bar Association, who led the Bar Council’s response, says: “We fear these attempted cuts, being so crude and brutal, will cost more than they save. They will trigger a surge in DIY litigants which risks gridlock in the courts, as they struggle to get justice. This will slow down the court process considerably.
“The government cannot say with any confidence that the proposed cuts will not end up costing as much as it is trying to save. We think that the effects on the administration of justice and the running of the courts, and the burden on other departments, could cost the government sums approximating to the sums it is trying to save.”
Baroness Butler-Sloss, a former president of the Family Division, predicted the increase in litigants in person as
