Legal aid deserts causing 'cost and distress'

A lack of legal aid provision is causing unnecessary taxpayer costs and distress for asylum seekers, a lawyer has said.

Newcastle-based solicitor Chris Boyle said legal aid "deserts" in north-east England leaves people making applications without professional help, leading to "unnecessary" rejections and appeals.

One asylum seeker, who wished to remain anonymous, said he had been unable to access legal aid since 2021.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said it is "reviewing the system to ensure it is sustainable".

The lack of legal aid was particularly acute in the North East and Cumbria, in areas including Durham and Carlisle, said Mr Boyle.

He said many asylum seekers had been moved to Carlisle hotels in recent years, but there was not a single legal aid lawyer in the city.

By the end of December 2023, the North East housed the UK's highest number of asylum seekers relative to its population, according to government statistics.

Claiming asylum was not as simple as filling a form, said Mr Boyle.

“People don’t always understand what evidence they’ve got,” he said.

"They don’t know what actually shows their life is in danger back home."

He said a legal aid lawyer could improve an asylum seeker’s application and help avoid an appeal through the taxpayer-funded tribunal system.

About half of all asylum appeals through this system are successful, latest figures show.

The anonymous asylum seeker, who arrived in the UK in 2021, said he was dropped by his first legal aid lawyer with no explanation and, in the years since, has not been able to find a new one.

“It’s been an uphill struggle,” he said, adding he had "shut down" when talking about the traumatic aspects of his case with asylum officials.

“I guess that’s where the importance of a lawyer comes in, to be that voice for you.”

Emma Pearson, at the Teesside-based asylum legal charity Justice First, said since April 2023, the team had supported 690 asylum seekers in the region with casework.

This was compared with 500 people between April 2022 and 2023.

"We are feeling quite under pressure at the moment," she said.

The MoJ said it had spent £49m on legal aid for immigration cases in the last year.

"The number of immigration [legal aid] providers has increased by almost 15% in the past 12 months," a spokesperson said.

"We are also reviewing the system to ensure it is sustainable well into the future.”

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