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Legal Aid is the public funding of legal costs, including the cost of legal advice or representation for people who cannot afford to pay for it themselves. Separate schemes exist for civil (such as family disputes or housing issues) and criminal legal aid. This article looks at access to civil legal aid. |
Access to civil legal advice is a cornerstone of a fair society. For many people, legal advice can make the difference between keeping a home, protecting family relationships, escaping abuse, or navigating complex immigration rules. Yet across Wales, growing gaps in provision – often referred to as “legal advice deserts” – are leaving vulnerable people without the support they need. This is particularly true for migrant women and other vulnerable groups who often face multiple, overlapping barriers to getting the help they need.
The growth of legal advice deserts
Civil legal aid remains the main route for people who cannot afford private legal fees. It can cover advice and representation in courts or tribunals and other forms of support such as family mediation. Eligibility and the scope of support is set out by the UK legal aid framework and administered by the Legal Aid Agency (LAA).
The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO) made reforms to the criminal justice system, including reducing funding for legal aid. The Law Society has noted that these funding cuts have meant that fewer people can access civil legal advice. In 2022 the Senedd’s Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee found that the LASPO had contributed to a “lack of specialist legal advice in social welfare law across Wales, delivered by those with legal training”.
Over the decade since LASPO, national surveys and analysis show that certain parts of England and Wales have become “legal advice deserts”, where there is little or no access to local, face-to-to-face legal advice funded by legal aid. While areas of England are also affected, Wales’ more rural geography and lower solicitor density amplifies the problem, making it harder for people to access in-person advice in some areas.
Certain groups are more vulnerable
National surveys and analysis show that large swathes of the population in England and Wales lack access to civil legal aid. While a lack of access should concern us all, some groups are particularly vulnerable.
Welfare benefit claimants
The welfare system offers support and help to those who are most at need. However, in some cases benefit claimants will challenge decisions which they feel are wrong or they are unhappy about. Access to civil legal aid is limited for those appealing welfare decisions, with only 1 provider in Wales (located in Cardiff). Citizens Advice Swansea and Neath Port Talbot say specialist welfare benefits advice capacity has never recovered to pre-LASPO levels.
The Welsh Government provides funding through its Single Advice Fund (SAF), to support free-to-client social welfare information and advice services. However, research into the effectiveness of the SAF found mixed evidence regarding the ability of the SAF to meet demand, with Mick Antoniw MS describing the fund as a “sticking plaster on the weakness of our current legal aid system”.
People facing homelessness
Civil legal aid can help with serious housing problems like eviction. As part of its scrutiny of the Homelessness (Wales) Bill, the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee heard how housing and homelessness advice services are stretched. In 2021, a report by the Public Ombudsman for Wales found there are barriers in accessing legal aid funded advice/representation to assist with reviews and appeals of homelessness decisions.
Cared for people
Individuals receiving care often need legal advice, for instance when they want to remain in their own home. Access to legal help for community care was one of the few areas of legal aid not covered by the LAPSO, yet it has still seen a fall in the number of providers.
In June 2025, the Law Society reported there were a total of five community care legal aid services in Wales (three providers in Cardiff and one apiece in Gwynedd and the Vale of Glamorgan).
Immigrants and those without recourse to public funds
Immigration and asylum law is complex and constantly changing. While these cases remain eligible for public funding and specialist advice, demand outstrips supply in many areas of Wales. A report for Justice Together in 2025 found that there are only four offices in Cardiff and Newport, and one apiece in Swansea and Wrexham.
The Welsh Government has provided funding to increase access to free advice. It has also supported the Bevan Foundation to create a strategy for developing the free-at-source immigration legal sector in Wales. However, the Senedd’s Cross Party Group on Human Rights say “whilst organisations have stepped-in to provide increased support they do not have capacity to meet the scale of the challenge”.
Migrant women: hidden, at risk and often without recourse
In 2022, a report by the Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee found that migrant women affected by gender-based violence frequently face intersecting barriers to accessing legal civil advice, including: language; insecure immigration status, no or limited recourse to public funds (NRPF), fear of deportation and culturally specific stigmas. Many may not know their rights or be reluctant to contact statutory services such as the police for fear of immigration consequences.
Responding to the Committee’s recommendation to set up a crisis fund to support migrant women, the Welsh Government established a pilot scheme in 2023. Welsh Women’s Aid have called the fund to be permanent, with dedicated, ring-fenced funding for organisations supporting survivors.
The future of civil legal aid
A review into Civil Legal Aid completed this year assessed long-term reform options to create a more sustainable system. In July 2025, the Government announced an uplift in civil legal aid fees in the areas of housing and immigration and asylum. The Ministry of Justice has established a Legal Support Strategy Delivery Group to identify how best to provide legal advice for “people with social welfare legal problems”.
However, professional bodies, including the Law Society, argue that funding levels remain far below what is needed to address the structural decline. A House of Lords Select Committee report recently concluded that while an increase in legal aid fees is welcome, the “Government needs to adopt a more innovative approach to reform the legal aid and advice system”.
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If you require help and support with legal issues, Senedd Research has published a guide for constituents, which signposts to sources of legal advice. |
Article by Claire Thomas, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
A deserted landscape: access to criminal legal aid in Wales (Part 1)
