The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act (LASPO) 2012 brought cuts to public funding for legal aid advice and assistance across numerous areas. It has recently been reported as a popular view that these cuts to legal aid spending has denied justice to the most vulnerable members of society and that it is possible that legal aid cuts in housing legal assistance prevented residents of Grenfell tower from bringing their fire safety concerns to court.
Following the fire at Grenfell Tower in West London, which has claimed the lives of at least 80 people, it has emerged that several of the tower’s residents had held concerns about the building’s fire risk. The Grenfell Action Group raised concerns about fire risks in 2013, and it has now been reported that some residents attempted to seek legal advice regarding these concerns but were unable to owing to the lack of legal aid available.
It is felt by many that legal aid cuts have fundamentally changed our justice system in ways that could be damaging to the lives of vulnerable people. Following the devastation at Grenfell Tower, people will be questioning whether the fire could have been prevented had there been greater access to legal aid to enable the concerns to be remedied through legal redress, and whether increased legal aid funding could prevent similar disasters from occurring in the future.
Obtaining Legal Advice
Individuals and households who have been displaced as a result of the Grenfell disaster will be considered homeless with a priority need for accommodation, and under homelessness regulation, local authorities have a duty to provide accommodation to homeless people in priority need.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has stated: “Legal aid is available to help individuals and families made homeless by this disaster. Funding is also available for families to support them as they prepare for inquests. We actively encourage any affected family to apply for funding, which is granted by the independent Legal Aid Agency.” Therefore, we urge all those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster to obtain legal advice immediately.
It is imperative that residents know their rights, and in association with the Grenfell Legal Support (GLS), Duncan Lewis Solicitors have set up two pro-bono legal advice centres to offer free advice on all housing matters. Duncan Lewis can also assist with inquest, judicial review, and other related legal matters.
Our pro-bono legal advice centres are located at Al Manaar the Cultural Heritage Centre (Mosque), 244 Acklam Road, London, W10 5YG [0208 964 1696] and Westway Sports Centre, 1 Crowthorne Road, London, W10 6RP [0333 005 0442]. Both centres are open 09.30-17.30.
Manjinder is a Solicitor in the Housing Department at Duncan Lewis’ Harrow office and has been working closely with people who were affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower.
If you have any further queries please do not hesitate to contact our team of expert housing solicitors on 0333 772 0409.
