In December 2018 the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Shared Data Unit reported cuts to legal aid had created "deserts" of provision across England and Wales.
Our analysis showed up to a million people lived in areas with no legal aid provision for housing, with a further 15 million in areas with one provider.
We analysed Ministry of Justice and Legal Aid Agency data since 2011-12 and found:
- Around a million fewer claims for legal aid were being processed each year.
- More than 1,000 fewer legal aid providers were paid for civil legal aid work than in 2011-12.
- Four legal aid providers for welfare cover Wales and the South West while 41 covered London and the South East.
- Almost half of all community care legal aid providers were based in London.
This piece of content was produced by a regional newspaper reporter working alongside Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ staff.
The Shared Data Unit makes data journalism available to news organisations across the media industry, as part of a partnership between the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and the News Media Association. Stories generated by the partnership included:
- The Eastern Daily Press: 10 December 2018
- Great Yarmouth Mercury: 10 December 2018
- The Bury Times: 10 December 2018
- The Yorkshire Post: 10 December 2018
- Rochdale Online: 10 December 2018
- Bradford Telegraph & Argus: 10 December 2018
- Stourbridge News: 10 December 2018
- The Bolton News: 10 December 2018
- Cornish Stuff: 10 December 2018
- The Kidderminster Shuttle: 11 December 2018
- The Swindon Advertiser: 11 December 2018
- The Bromsgrove Advertiser: 11 December 2018
- The Redditch & Alcester Advertiser: 11 December 2018
- York: The Press: 12 December 2018
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