LONDON, September 18 /PRNewswire/ --

- 'Marketisation of the Vulnerable' to be Raised at Labour Party Conference

Changes in legal aid services, which help people keep 'a roof over their head', tackle unemployment and advise on crippling debts are to be raised at the Labour Party conference, by Unite.

Unite, the country's largest trade union, believes that legal assistance is being reduced, as a result of the introduction of fixed fees per case, for groups such as:

- those with literacy difficulties, - mental health problems, - disabilities, - asylum seekers and refugees

Under the Legal Services Commission's (LSC) new scheme, people with complex cases are finding it harder to get a legal aid solicitor, or an advice agency to take them on.

This is because the rates at which work is notionally 'charged' under the scheme are, on average, three times lower than the average solicitor's hourly rate.

This will hit such vulnerable groups as: - those who may not have English as their first language and have fled war-torn countries, such as Somalia - and whose complex cases can't be resolved with such limited assistance. - elderly tenants, who often need repeated reassurances, and to have the 'fine print' explained more than once, are also getting short-changed as advisers are forced to reduce the time they spend on each case.

Unite is also worried that the way the scheme has been introduced by the LSC will hit voluntary sector staff, who face reductions in their pay and conditions, as their organisations make savings to conform to the LSC's new financial strait-jacket.

The LSC has introduced a transitional scheme for not-for- profit organisations, which has resulted in many agencies receiving only half the money this year that they would have received under the old contracting arrangement.

This has put huge pressure on agencies, and many are fearful that they will not be able to last until the end of the year. The scheme has also no 'London Weighting' element, despite the higher costs of providing such legal assistance in the capital.

Unite National Officer for the Community and Non Profit Sector, Rachael Maskell condemned what she called as 'the marketisation of the vulnerable' and the 'totally unacceptable pressures being placed on dedicated and hard-working voluntary sector professionals working in this area.'

Unite will support a motion at next week's Labour Party conference which calls for an 'independent review of the civil legal aid system, one of the greatest legacies of the Attlee government'.

The LSC publishes its review of its 'fixed fees' policy in January 2009. The first stages of the new policy were implemented in October 2007.

Rachael Maskell said: 'There needs to be realistic financial support for organisations that provide services to clients with specific needs, for example, those with high percentages of clients who do not speak English as a first language, those with mental health problems and those with disabilities.'

'The LSC should restore their commitment to high quality services, with all providers. The current fixed fees are simply inadequate. For example, an agency cannot deal properly with a complex homelessness case for a young person, say, for a total sum of GBP174, when it may take five or six hours to resolve the issue.'

'There should be a commitment to assisting not-for-profit agencies throughout the transitional period with a guarantee that agencies will not be forced to close, causing real hardship to local communities and employees a result of the changing of the funding framework that is now operating.'

Unite represents over 60,000 members in the Third Sector.

Unite press releases on the Non Profit Sector can be seen on website: http://www.unitetheunion.com/nonprofit

Unite was formed by an amalgamation of Amicus and the Transport and General Workers' Union in May 2007.

Rachael Maskell, National Officer, Community and Non Profit Sector, +44(0)207-420-8979 (d.l), +44(0)7768-693933 (m); Shaun Noble, Communications Officer, +44(0)20-7780-4080 (d.l), +44(0)7768-693-940 (m)