Post by nickd on Dec 19, 2011 18:29:48 GMT 1
Article in the Church of England Newspaper on Bishop of Newcastle hitting out at legal aid cuts
Monday, December 19, 2011 The Church of England
Newspaper
The funding crisis facing the Citizens Advice Bureau is becoming “desperate”, the Bishop of Newcastle has warned.
He said cuts to the service could be an example of “cutting off our nose to spite our face” as the result of not giving people advice could prove to be more costly.
In a debate on the issue in the House of Lords, Bishop Martin Wharton said CAB provided a “lifeline for over two million people a year but the position is becoming desperate”.
He added: “In our present financial climate, it is vital that people continue to have access to debt and welfare advice.”
But he said some CABs had had more than 50 per cent of the funding withdrawn and were having to cut opening hours and services and make staff redundant, while others faced closing down altogether.
He told peers: “To make matters worse, the coming changes in the legal aid system mean that social welfare and housing cases will no longer be eligible for legal aid, so the funding crisis for the CAB is bound to get worse and worse.
“And all of that is happening as the number of people seeking help with debts, benefits and homelessness has doubled in some parts of the country.”.........................."
It's an interesting article, have a read...
www.religiousintelligence.org/churchnewspaper/news/bishop%E2%80%99s-citizen%E2%80%99s-advice-worry/
As posted by Jman on Ilegal earlier today