Legal aid deserts
Legal aid deserts mean that people on low incomes facing important legal issues are struggling to get the local face-to-face advice they're legally entitled to.
In June 2025, we updated our community care map showing that 69.9% of people do not have access to a local provider.
In February 2024, we updated our four other heat maps showing the shortage of providers across the country for:
- education – nine in 10 people do not have access to a local provider
- housing – 44% do not have access to a local provider
- immigration and asylum – 63% do not have access to a local provider
- welfare benefits – 85% do not have access to a local provider
The maps were first published in September 2021, following our maps in 2020 and 2019 showing shortages in community care and housing law.
Save our legal aid
Legal aid is a public service – one as vital to our communities as education and healthcare.
It should be there for everyone who needs it.
We’re campaigning for more funding for the areas that need it most: family law, community care, inquests and mental health.
Get involved
If you’re a legal professional, we’d like you to share examples of the damage that legal aid deserts have caused in your local area.