Civil legal aid

Earlier this year we welcomed the government’s proposals for the first increase to civil legal aid fees in nearly 30 years, but there is still further to go. Discover how we’ve been driving efforts to properly fund civil legal aid.

09 Jun 2025

4 minute read

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) consultation

We responded to the government consultation on civil legal aid fees and encouraged our members to participate by responding and attending round tables.

We welcome the proposed changes, but it’s not enough to ensure legal aid work is sustainable.

Fee levels have remained unchanged since 1996, despite a 95% increase in inflation during that period.

To put the needs of the public first we are calling for:

fee increases across all areas of civil legal aid
government to establish an independent fee review body to regularly review legal aid fees and ensure they keep pace with inflation
greater flexibility in the delivery of legal aid – remote advice improves access to justice for many, but in-person services must remain an option for those who need them

A functioning justice system will benefit us all, but without ensuring that fees keep up with rising costs, the legal aid system will continue to shrink, limiting access to justice to a privileged few.

The proposals

Principles for setting fee levels

The government says that the fee increases will enable providers to invest in expanding much-needed capacity, but we are concerned they will not be sufficient to fully address the sustainability of legal aid services.

Increasing fees for housing and immigration work

The increase is necessary as fees haven’t changed since 1996 and were cut in 2011, leading to a significant decline in providers.

Set minimum hourly rates at £65.35 (outside London) and £69.30 (inside London)

We welcome the increase, but the methodology is unclear – the proposed rates may not ensure long-term sustainability.

Equal Rates for controlled and licensed work

More detailed consideration is needed for each category.

Impact on legal aid providers

It’s unlikely the proposed rates will significantly increase capacity given rising staff costs and lack of regular fee reviews – the government should commit to a regular review of fees by an independent body.

Immigration fee increases implemented first

Both housing and immigration fee increases should be implemented together.

Simplify the fee system

The current fee structure is complicated and is a disincentive for providers. There needs to be a review to remove administrative burdens.

Remote services and permanent office requirements

Removing limits on remote controlled work matters and removing the requirement for permanent office locations would provide necessary flexibility and reflect modern service delivery methods.

However, provision needs to be based on client needs and professional judgement. Clients who need face to face advice should not be disadvantaged.

November 2024 – increase to civil legal aid fees

In November 2024, we welcomed the UK government’s proposed £20 million a year investment in civil legal aid fees for immigration and housing.

We emphasised the need to invest more in both civil and criminal legal aid which are vital public services.

March to September 2024 – sustainability research

We commissioned Frontier Economics to examine the sustainability of civil legal aid in England and Wales.

The findings set out the steps the UK government can take to increase access to legal advice and reduce costs to public services.

Reforms which improve the sustainability of civil legal aid could generate meaningful benefits for public finances, by reducing the burden on other public services and improving economic productivity, with a positive impact for us all.

Explore the final implications report.

What we've been doing

October 2024 – 1,236 firms awarded civil legal aid contracts; a significant drop compared to 2023
February 2024 – we updated our legal aid desert maps on housing, education, immigration and asylum, community care and welfare
January 2024 – we worked with the MoJ to organise discussion groups so legal aid practitioners can feed in directly to the civil servants carrying out its review on civil legal aid
December 2023 – we invited civil legal aid providers to take part in independent economic research to help us capture the full scale of the sustainability threat facing access to justice
August 2023 – we provided evidence to civil servants carrying out the review and called on the government to provide an urgent cash injection for civil legal aid providers to tide firms over while the review takes place
October 2023 to February 2024 – the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) carried out research into the civil legal aid market

How we campaigned for a review

April 2023 – we marked 10 years since the LASPO Act cut legal aid in many areas
December 2022 – we analysed data that suggests the number civil legal aid providers starting work could drop by a third by 2025
May 2022 – we updated our maps on legal aid deserts in England and Wales
September 2021 – we published our own review on the system’s sustainability, including eight recommendations on what the government should focus on in a formal review
May 2021 – we issued a judicial review against the Legal Aid Agency and lord chancellor, over changes to costs assessments that were made without proper consultation
2019 – we published heatmaps to identify places facing legal aid advice deserts for community care, education, housing, immigration and welfare
September 2018 – we submitted evidence to the post-implementation review of LASPO, stressing that legal aid is no longer available for many who need it
June 2018 – our research on the benefits of early legal advice with Ipsos-MORI showed a clear statistical link between people getting early advice and resolving problems sooner
November 2017 – we launched our campaign on early legal advice, which was cited in multiple parliamentary discussions on the future of legal aid
2017 – we first called for an independent review into the sustainability of the civil legal aid system, following a 37% drop in the number of providers after massive legal aid cuts were introduced by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO)