The extent to which government cuts have deprived disabled people of legal aid in disputes over their benefit payments is revealed in new official figures that show a 99% decline since 2011, The Guardian reports.
The cuts imposed in 2012 as part of the Tory austerity drive have resulted in the total number of disabled people being granted legal aid plummeting from 29,801 in 2011-12 to just 308 in 2016-17.
The cuts have left some of the most vulnerable people in society adrift without expert advice in often highly complex and distressing cases.
MPs and charities representing disabled people reacted furiously to the figures, released in a parliamentary answer, saying they bore out their worst fears at the time the cuts were announced several years ago.
Richard Lane, Head of Communications at disability charity Scope, called the figures “shocking.” He said they were proof that disabled people were now in “a weaker position to challenge inaccuracy and poor decision-making within government welfare systems.”
Kamran Mallick, Chief Executive Officer of the charity Disability Rights UK, said: “The government was warned changes to access to legal aid would fall heavily on disabled people who need legal advice, and these figures show those concerns were real.”
Have you been or do you know someone who has been refused legal aid when disputing a welfare claim? Do you think the cuts were justified, or should disabled people be offered all the support they require when challenging poor decision making in the welfare system? Join the conversation in the comments below or over on our Twitter.
