Legal aid
One out of three jobs at the Legal Services Commission (LSC) are to go by 2011, while seven out of 12 offices will be closed in the next three to five years.
The LSC told staff last week it planned to reduce its workforce from 1,700 to 1,100. The 600 job losses will be phased over the next three years as offices close in Brighton, Cardiff , Cambridge, Reading, Leeds, Chester, Manchester and Birmingham in this order.
The LSC will then operate out of its remaining five offices in London, Bristol, Liverpool and South Tyneside for civil legal aid, and Nottingham for criminal legal aid.
Legal Aid Practitioners Group chairman Roy Morgan says: “These are more swingeing cuts than we anticipated.
“The LSC is divesting itself of administrative staff , and our concern is that they will be passing that onto us. We won’t be paid for it. One of the biggest bugbears for solicitors is admin and, if firms are on the brink of giving up, then this might tip the balance.
“We are concerned that reducing their presence in the regions will affect understanding of local issues.” However, having fewer designated areas could improve efficiency in processing applications, he says.
An LSC spokesperson says services to the public will not be affected, and the reductions will be achieved by “simplifying our processes” and increased use of electronic working.
