Government to consult in January on increasing legal aid fees for housing cases

The Government is to consult in January 2025 on increasing legal aid fees for those working in the housing and debt sector, the Ministry of Justice has announced.

The MoJ said it would aim to increase fees to a rate in the region of £65/£69 per hour (non-London/London), or provide a 10% uplift, whichever is higher.

Fixed fees will be uplifted by an amount proportional to the increase in the underlying hourly rate for that work. This will be implemented in 2025-26 with costs scaling up to £20 million by 2027-28.

The MoJ said that the increases would make sure “vulnerable people forced into unfair housing legal battles and at risk of losing their home have access to legal advice”.

The same increases would also apply to the immigration and asylum sectors.

The Ministry claimed this would represent the first increase in civil legal aid funding in almost 30 years.

Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice Shabana Mahmood said: “Civil legal aid plays a crucial role in our justice system, providing legal support for vulnerable people thereby helping to ensure access to justice.  

“This Government is determined to improve the civil legal aid sector which was left neglected for years. This is an important step as we rebuild our justice system, ensuring it is fit for purpose for the society it serves and those who serve within it.”

The MoJ added that the Government will continue to consider the fees paid in other categories of civil legal aid, including as part of the second phase of the Government’s spending review, due in Spring 2025. 

The Government has meanwhile published five reports from the Review of Civil Legal Aid (RoCLA), which the MoJ said present evidence on some of the key challenges facing the civil legal aid system.