Warwick Branch Labour Party met this evening, where we discussed the proposed changes to the Legal Aid system, following a very informative and interesting speech from Catherine Stephens, a local solicitor. She outlined how the proposed cuts will go to the heart of a fair and just society, and create a situation where only those with the ability to pay will have access to justice.
The right to legal representation is a fundamental principle of a civilised society and is a cornerstone of our way of life. Legal Aid was established in 1949 following with progressive legislation around access to health care and education, regardless of means.
If these proposals are implemented, individuals will no longer be able to access legal aid for help in cases relating to debt, employment, housing and clinical negligence, which has a far-reaching impact on the most vulnerable in society. Legal Aid will be removed from big chunks of family law, such as divorce and private children act applications. Additionally, eligibility for legal aid will be tightened, meaning that far fewer people will find themselves eligible.
Disproportionately, women and children will bear the the brunt of these cuts, which is becoming a hallmark of the coalition government. So why, then, are we not hearing more about these cuts? Perhaps it is because we don't know how important Legal Aid is until we need it: when we are at our most vulnerable and in need of help and advice.
The Government, as always, expects the Big Society to pick up the pieces, but I cannot see how this woolly concept can provide an effective infrastructure to meet the needs of people seeking resolution to their problems. Alternative sources of advice, such as the CAB, will be dramatically hit by the cuts and so we can see avenues of help and support disappearing, and individuals left floundering and silenced.
If you don't think this affects you, you are wrong. It affects us all. Are you employed? Many people fight unfair dismissal cases with the support of Legal Aid. With these cuts, there'll be nothing you can do to challenge unfair dismissal unless you can afford to pay a solicitor, and of course, if you've just lost your job this may well be unlikely. Are you married? Got children? There'll be no more legal aid for family matters like divorce, custody and access.
Everyone should have access to justice. Legal Aid is an integral part of a fair and just society, which is threatened by these cuts. What can you do? Make your voice heard. Write to your MP, your local paper, tweet and make others aware. Sound off For Justice have a petition, a blog and more information about this threat. Locally, we'll be campaigning against these cuts and if you'd like to join us, contact me for more information.
Tuesday 20 September 2011
Wednesday 7 September 2011
Save the trees
It really has been a while since I've blogged, in fact, my blogging hiatus has lasted just a little longer than the school holidays, and this is no coincidence. Normal service will now resume.
I should declare an interest here. I live in a relatively new housing development in Warwick West. We're lucky in that the development has a few wooded areas, a lake with swans and ducks and a bit of other wildlife. Just next to the park, there are around 80 trees that must be as old as the estate itself, so around 15-18 years old. They are mature, nice-looking trees and the local children love running around in them, and here I should add that my 4 year old and his friends run through on the way home from school. There are squirrels, hedgehogs and all the usual things you find in a wood.
Anyway. I was at a meeting on Monday night to discuss the funding arrangements for our new community centre, when the Conservative District Councillor Higgins announced that she had good news: the trees are to be felled. I immediately asked for clarification and she told me that it is what the residents want and it is tough, the trees are to go.
On my way home, I canvassed for opinions and everyone is in favour of keeping the trees, but in the absence of any real information about why, or the number of trees at risk, I felt a real sense of injustice.
The land is currently owned by the developer, who are yet to hand it over to the District Council for ongoing maintenance. I gather that the Poplar Trees are at risk of being destroyed as the Council will not take on the land while they are there. I fired off a load of emails to anyone I could think of, and finally established that there are 20 trees to be felled in October. The developer told me that the trees were grown for wind protection for the other trees, and having served their purpose, they must now go.
Now, I know nothing about trees, but one thing I do know about is managing change from my former career in HR. First off, if you want to do something deeply unpopular, you need to sell the benefits to stakeholders. WDC and the developer agreed something and failed to consult with the people most affected by this: the local residents, who learned about the decision from someone who did not understand the emotional attachment people have to their environment.
Secondly, and this is perhaps the most galling, it has been presented to us as a fait accompli. There has been no consultation, or discussion, just a decision. One of our neighbours had to get planning permission to convert his garage into a room, which requires consultation with neighbours, yet the felling of 20 trees, which has such a significant impact on our community, requires no such process.
Following my increasingly irritated emails to council and to the developer, a letter will now be sent to all local residents in the vicinity, and, to the residents association. I've also arranged to meet with the officer responsible for woodland management, in the hope of finding out the reasoning behind this decision.
What has been encouraging is that all of the local residents are ready to fight this decision, and I have had emails and facebook messages from people needing to know more. I think our next step is to listen to the advice from the WDC officer, and consider whether he can present a compelling argument to fell the trees. If he can't, then it seems like this is one community ready to fight to keep the trees.
I should declare an interest here. I live in a relatively new housing development in Warwick West. We're lucky in that the development has a few wooded areas, a lake with swans and ducks and a bit of other wildlife. Just next to the park, there are around 80 trees that must be as old as the estate itself, so around 15-18 years old. They are mature, nice-looking trees and the local children love running around in them, and here I should add that my 4 year old and his friends run through on the way home from school. There are squirrels, hedgehogs and all the usual things you find in a wood.
Anyway. I was at a meeting on Monday night to discuss the funding arrangements for our new community centre, when the Conservative District Councillor Higgins announced that she had good news: the trees are to be felled. I immediately asked for clarification and she told me that it is what the residents want and it is tough, the trees are to go.
On my way home, I canvassed for opinions and everyone is in favour of keeping the trees, but in the absence of any real information about why, or the number of trees at risk, I felt a real sense of injustice.
The land is currently owned by the developer, who are yet to hand it over to the District Council for ongoing maintenance. I gather that the Poplar Trees are at risk of being destroyed as the Council will not take on the land while they are there. I fired off a load of emails to anyone I could think of, and finally established that there are 20 trees to be felled in October. The developer told me that the trees were grown for wind protection for the other trees, and having served their purpose, they must now go.
Now, I know nothing about trees, but one thing I do know about is managing change from my former career in HR. First off, if you want to do something deeply unpopular, you need to sell the benefits to stakeholders. WDC and the developer agreed something and failed to consult with the people most affected by this: the local residents, who learned about the decision from someone who did not understand the emotional attachment people have to their environment.
Secondly, and this is perhaps the most galling, it has been presented to us as a fait accompli. There has been no consultation, or discussion, just a decision. One of our neighbours had to get planning permission to convert his garage into a room, which requires consultation with neighbours, yet the felling of 20 trees, which has such a significant impact on our community, requires no such process.
Following my increasingly irritated emails to council and to the developer, a letter will now be sent to all local residents in the vicinity, and, to the residents association. I've also arranged to meet with the officer responsible for woodland management, in the hope of finding out the reasoning behind this decision.
What has been encouraging is that all of the local residents are ready to fight this decision, and I have had emails and facebook messages from people needing to know more. I think our next step is to listen to the advice from the WDC officer, and consider whether he can present a compelling argument to fell the trees. If he can't, then it seems like this is one community ready to fight to keep the trees.
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