Legal Aid Proposals Delayed

Tue, 21 Jul 2009

Plans to auction off legal aid work have been postponed after strong opposition from law firms . Ministers have abandoned the timetable for the implementation of the proposals, which would have seen legal aid work in police stations and magistrates’ courts auctioned off to the lowest bidding legal firm . The Best Value Tendering (BVT) scheme was scheduled to be implemented across England and Wales from January 2011, though this has now been reduced to two pilot projects in Greater Manchester and Avon and Somerset in July next year. If successful, the scheme will then be introduced elsewhere in 2013.

Solicitors and legal firms had sent a petition to Downing Street protesting against the plans. More than 50 per cent of respondents to a Legal Services Commission (LSC) consultation believed that the timetable was too quick and wouldn’t allow the pilots to be fully evaluated.

Revealing that there would be a delay in the implementation of the proposals, Justice minister Lord Bach said the concerns raised in the consultation had persuaded him that there was a strong case to delay the scheme.

Paul Marsh, the president of the Law Society, welcomed the news of a delay, but wanted ministers to acknowledge the ‘potentially destructive impact’ the pilots may have.
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