A local solicitor took the opportunity of challenging the Prime Minister, David Cameron, and the London Mayor, Boris Johnson, over the impact of legal aid cuts on access to justice.
Nick Aspley, partner at Marchants Solicitors in Mansfield, was on the train from Newark to London Kings Cross taking the Top Tories back to London after electioneering in Newark. While the Mayor expressed sympathy on the issue the Prime Minister had no plans to change current policy.
Mr Aspley said “It is not every day that you have the opportunity of going right to the top of government to challenge policy. The fact is that since legal aid was withdrawn from most family cases in April 2014 this has led to the vulnerable in society, both locally and nationwide, not being able to get the most basic of legal advice.” This has been supported by the judiciary in a written response published last week to the Justice Committee Enquiry on Civil Legal Aid which stated that the withdrawal of legal advice was likely to have led to cases with a good chance of success not being brought “because individuals lack the knowledge & confidence to take cases forward.”