Proposed by Councillor Wade

Liberal Democrat member motion

Council notes that Legal Aid was created as part of the post-war Welfare State of which liberals such as Beveridge and Keynes were key architects.

Legal Aid funds legal advice and representation to the general public, in particular to those who cannot afford to pay for it. It is a vital ingredient of a democratic society.

In a criminal context, those without legal aid, and who could not pay privately, would have to fend for themselves against all the resources of the state. Access to justice would depend on wealth.

Oxford City Council believes that the fundamental right to justice should be available to everybody in our society regardless of their means.

Nature of the problem

There will be a £600m reduction in an already meagre and overstretched budget for the Ministry of Justice by 2019/20. Meanwhile many of the poor and vulnerable are being denied access to justice. The faith of the public in the jury system is being undermined by the chaos in the courts. The further cut now proposed will amount to a 40% cut in real terms since 1997. 

Council therefore calls on the Government to:

1.    Recognise the concerns of members of the legal profession at all levels

2.    Instigate an open review of the cumulative effect of legal aid reductions on the provision of access to legal advice and assistance, taking evidence from professionals, from agencies e.g. CABs, Law Centres, and from people who are themselves affected by little or no legal aid support.

3.    Consider how the reduction in legal aid provision is affecting the Government’s ability to comply with United Nations, European Union and National Policy and Legislative measures.

4.    Require the Ministry of Justice to provide a fully-costed review of the Legal Aid scheme within 12 months against 2016/17 figures to ascertain whether the scheme achieves its aim of cost neutrality or whether it is underfunded and, if so, by how much.

Council accordingly resolves to ask the Leader of the Council:

·         to ask the Oxford MPs Layla Moran and Anneliese Dodds to write to the Prime Minister to communicate the resolution of Council as expressed above.

·         to ask Oxfordshire County Council to join us in this request to the Prime Minister

This motion was not taken because the time for discussing motions had elapsed.