9 November 2016

Courts and tribunal services face huge cuts

Huge changes are afoot in the civil service that will leave jobs slashed and public services a husk of their former selves. Given that 86,000 jobs have already been axed from the civil service over the past five years, this may seem like old news but the scale and scope of the Tories' austerity-driven changes are only now being revealed.

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10 February 2016

Lawyers defeat Tories' unjust legal aid cuts

Justice Secretary Michael Gove has made a complete u-turn on cuts to legal aid at the end of January.

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14 October 2015

Napo at a crossroads

Probation and family courts workers - gathering in Eastbourne for their union Napo's conference - face an uncertain future as the full scale of cuts and privatisation comes into view.

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1 July 2015

Workplace news in brief

Short reports on some of the latest trade union struggles.

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18 March 2015

How can civil liberties be protected?

Paul Heron reviews 'On Liberty' by Shami Chakrabati

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4 March 2015

Them & Us

Late for supper: Almost 100,000 children in poor families went hungry last year because of government cuts or sanctions imposed on their parents' benefits

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9 April 2014

Probation workers unite to fight off no-justice vultures

Private vultures hoping to swoop down and feed off the remains of local Probation Trusts got a nasty shock when thousands of workers took strike action in defence of a fully integrated public service, writes Chas Berry, Kent Napo branch chair, personal capacity.

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13 March 2014

Lawyers walk out to defend legal aid

It is rare, if it happens at all, that those of us on the left attend protests and demonstrations with Tory party grandees among the speakers...

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27 February 2014

Support strike action against legal aid cuts

Justice under the knife: Ahead of the 7 March strike by lawyers, Russell Fraser, joint secretary of the Haldane Society of Socialist Lawyers speaks about the implications of the cuts to justice and the plans to fight them

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8 January 2014

Class injustice at Dickensian court

Between Christmas and New Year, thousands of tenants in rent arrears were dragged into courts across the country facing possession orders

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27 November 2013

Criminal justice: More privatisation problems

Secretary of State Chris Grayling's plans to privatise large parts of the criminal justice system suffered a severe blow last week with the announcement that three prisons in South Yorkshire set for private takeover will now remain in public hands, writes Chas Berry, Kent branch chair, National Association of Probation Officers (Napo).

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Scales of injustice

5 June 2013

Legal aid cuts: Justice in the balance

The new proposals will seriously undermine access to justice. Opportunities, through judicial review, to hold the government to account will be severely curbed

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22 May 2013

Strike against legal aid cuts

A demonstration outside parliament is being held on 22 May against the Con-Dems' proposals to further cut legal aid

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20 July 2011

Legal Aid Bill - Access to justice is under attack

For those of us working in legal aid, the initial government Green Paper - Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales - heralded a massive attack not only on our jobs, but also our clients, the welfare state and the principle of justice, writes Paul Heron.

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20 July 2011

Immigration Advice closure shows need for industrial struggle

One year after the closure of Refugee Migrant Justice (RMJ) in June 2010, the other main UK provider of free legal advice and representation to asylum seekers and migrant workers has now also been shut down, writes Eric Segal, former RMJ Unite rep.

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6 June 2011

Protests against cuts in legal aid

Up to 100 people attended a protest on Friday in Coventry city centre against the Con-Dem cuts to legal aid. This was just one of many protests that took place around the country...

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17 November 2010

Coalition turns back the clock on justice

THE COALITION government intends to virtually end legal aid in civil cases, with few exceptions. This devastating move will turn the clock back 60 years by denying justice to hundreds of thousands of people...

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Firefighters protest

17 June 2010

Demonstrate Against Likely Closure of Refugee and Migrant Justice - Defend Legal Aid

Refugee and Migrant Justice (RMJ), the largest provider of specialist legal advice for asylum seekers and other vulnerable migrants in England and Wales, went into administration on June 16 2010...

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17 March 2010

Cuts mean poorest people priced out of the legal system

Legal aid in crisis: "Do you think they'll evict me?" - this is the question I was asked recently at the County Court. I was the duty solicitor representing a housing association tenant who had £2,200 rent arrears. Usually...

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19 March 2009

Crisis in the legal aid system

SINCE LAST summer five law centres have closed down, and a specialist welfare benefit appeals service has closed its doors after 24 years serving many of London's most vulnerable people, writes Paul Heron.

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