I’m driven to start my first blog by the headlines about the impact of the new Legal Services Commission contract on industrial relations at Shelter. They’re not alone – the new contracts are wreaking havoc in voluntary advice agencies throughout the country. I think it’s time we fought our own corner a little harder.
Way back in 2006 we told the LSC that replacing hourly payments with fixed fees was going to be a recipe for disaster. The new fixed fee for a welfare benefit case is a princely £164 – equivalent to three hours of our casework and just twenty minutes of that of a corporate lawyer. Our average time to complete a case is six and half hours. I would say ‘you do the maths’ but the maths doesn’t add up.
The most desperate clients will inevitably suffer as hard-pressed agencies are forced to take on easier, quicker cases just in order to survive. And, as everyone involved in providing voluntary legal advice knows, there a precious few safety nets left for those clients we can’t take.
Times are hard; for government, funders, the LSC and public alike. I know that choices have to be made. I accept that ‘value for money’ is more of a mantra than ever before. So fine, let’s talk about value for money. Last year lasa’s success rate at tribunal was 85% – as opposed to a 40% success rate for clients who aren’t represented. And we know how economically devastating the fall-out from failure at tribunal can be.
I don’t think advice centres can wait until things get even worse than they are. I think we owe ourselves and, most importantly, our clients a bit better than that. It’s time to get proactive about telling the media exactly what the impact of these new contracts really is.
Posted by lasaceo 
