More than 14m people live in ‘legal aid desert’, new report reveals
Summary
New research from LexisNexis indicates that 14.49 million people in England and Wales live in areas classed as legal aid deserts, with housing among the most affected practice areas. The report says access gaps remain concentrated in rural, coastal and semi-rural authorities, and that many of the weakest areas identified in 2022 have not improved.
Why it matters
Housing disputes, homelessness prevention and other property-related legal issues often depend on timely access to legal advice. For residential property surveyors, reduced legal aid availability can affect dispute resolution, tenant and landlord outcomes, and the handling of cases involving defects, possession or housing conditions.
Key points
- 23% of the population of England and Wales live in a legal aid desert in at least one area.
- 6.6 million people live in housing legal aid deserts.
- Weak access is concentrated in rural, coastal and semi-rural local authorities.
- Several of the weakest housing access areas identified in 2022 remain deserts in the latest update.
- The report argues that limited legal aid access can delay early case management and resolution.
This is an RPSA summary of a publicly available article. The full content remains with the original publisher.
