Rochdale suffers as law employment services are cut

Since recent government cuts, Rochdale Law Centre has had to cut their free employment advice law service. Enquiries to the service, which offered advice for people on low incomes, now have to be directed to private solicitors.

Gill Quine from Rochdale Law Centre said: “The service was very well used before the cuts.” 

The Rochdale Law Centre was established in February 1991 and offers services to the whole of the metropolitan borough of Rochdale.

Since the cuts were made, The Rochdale Law Centre has had to lose three members of staff and has now set up a community interest company to help with employment services were they can.

Gill added: “It is the vulnerable people with smaller claims who are going to suffer the most.”

Plans to cut funding to the service were made in March 2013 in hopes to save £350m from the £2bn legal aid budget.

Bernard Culshaw, an employment solicitor based in Rochdale, said: “Cuts were made because, in my opinion, this government thinks if you can’t afford to pay you don’t deserve the service.”

Since the cuts were made, Bernard has set up his own employment law agency to help fill the gap created.

Bernard added: “I think the government has gone as far as it intends to at least for the next few years. These are the most dramatic changes to access to justice since the introduction of legal aid in 1949.”