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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Politics
Pippa Crerar

Labour plan army of social welfare lawyers to help people with benefits and debt

Labour will announce plans for hundreds of new social welfare lawyers to help people living in left behind communities this weekend.

A future Corbyn government would also set up dozens more law centres in areas that have most suffered from Conservative cuts.

They would be occupied by 200 lawyers specialising in areas such as benefits, debt, housing, employment and immigration.

Shadow justice secretary Richard Burgon will set out the plans for free legal training, costing £18m, at Labour conference on Sunday.

He will also announce a £20m fund to create a new network of People’s Law Centres, where families can get frontline legal support to, for example, tackle poor landlords or unlawful employment practices.

(Daily Mirror)

In his speech, he will say: “The Tories have deliberately undermined people’s ability to get the legal help they often desperately need.

“That has allowed lousy landlords, bullying bosses, and even the Government itself, to trample on people’s rights for far too long.

“When people lack the money or the knowledge to enforce their rights, those rights are not worth the paper they are written on.

“We will put an end to that and ensure that justice serves the people, not just a privileged few.”

According to the Law Centres Network there were 63 law centres in 2005 but this has now fallen to just 40, just under half in London.

Labour’s plan is part of a broader blueprint to secure existing law centres and boost their provision with extra staff.

They also want to set up special legal units in the heart of communities, for example in food banks and health clinics.

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