The Ministry of Justice has announced that £3.1m will be given to local and national organisations in order to enhance the support that is given to people who wish to represent themselves in court.
The money will support 11 new projects across 50 different organisations that offer this kind of support.
The MoJ has awarded jut under £1m to three new partnerships which are:
- North and Mid-Wales, where seven Citizens Advice branches in the region have partnered with Bangor University to increase access to legal advice and support.
- the North East of England, where 13 local organisations will set up two virtual support hubs, sharing their expertise and allowing people to access specialist advice from anywhere in the region.
- Devon and Cornwall, where nine organisations have come together to establish a network of specialist support across both counties.
As well as this, the Ministry of Justice has also awarded just under £1m to regions on a more local level which are:
- Suffolk and Norfolk, where a new service will take mobile, free legal advice out to people who cannot normally access it.
- Mid and North Yorkshire, where the capacity of specialist legal advice will be expanded, including a rural outreach service.
- Greater Manchester and North Lancashire, where two new community hubs will be set up to help people work through a broad range of issues.
- the East and West Midlands, where access to support will be strengthened and expanded into new parts of the local area.
- Dorset and South Somerset, where 9 organisations will work together to provide more access to specialist advice and share their expertise to train more advisers.
Justice Minister, Alex Chalk said:
“I am delighted to see this funding going out to so many vital frontline projects across England and Wales, providing support to people navigating the justice system.
Our partnership with the Access to Justice Foundation to successfully deliver this funding has gone from strength to strength, and our work together will have a significant impact on the lives of those who need advice and guidance.”
