The Liberal Democrats have condemned the cuts to legal aid for welfare benefits appeals.
At its autumn conference, the party called on the government to retain legal aid for people appealing welfare benefit decisions, and voted through a motion condemning the government’s welfare reform plans.
The motion included a call for government to reconsider the exclusion of welfare benefits casework from the scope of legal aid.
It followed a motion at the Liberal Democrat spring conference condemning the legal aid changes.
The Legal Aid, Sentencing, and Punishment of Offenders bill, which is currently going through parliament, will remove legal help for all welfare benefits cases, including for people appealing against government decisions, for example on disability benefits.
It will come into force at the same time as radical changes to the welfare system which are also being debated in parliament this month.
In the conference debate, Liberal Democrat members highlighted that 40% of appeals regarding Employment and Support Allowance are successful, and that legal help and representation increases the chance of a successful appeal.
They said cutting legal aid for welfare benefits will disproportionately effect disabled people, as 58% of those affected by the change are disabled, a total of 78,000 people a year.
Spokesman for campaign group Justice for All, Will Horwitz welcomed the vote.
He said: ‘It is very encouraging that Liberal Democrat members recognise the importance of proper legal advice for people appealing government decisions, and we hope Liberal Democrat MPs and peers will now be making this case powerfully in parliament.’
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