Scrapping legal aid for employment will have ‘the perverse effect’ of increasing tribunal cases, according to a new report by Citizens Advice out today.

You can read the full report here.

If the legal aid cuts went ahead, Citizens Advice Bureaux would no longer be able to offer the specialist legal help for more than 3,000 employment problems every year, said Citizens Advice chief executive Gillian Guy; mainly involving vulnerable workers in low paid, low skilled work who had ‘nowhere else to turn for help’.

In its response to a government’s consultation on promoting economic growth through a strong and efficient labour market (Flexible, effective, fair: promoting economic growth through a strong and efficient labour market), Citizens Advice welcomed the government’s commitment to enforce employment protection. But it added that this pledge was ‘meaningless unless people continue to have access to the specialist legal advice that plays a key role in resolving disputes and potential disputes at an early stage’.