The LSC, under it's 'procurment plan', has slashed our funding (and several neighbouring counties) by 50%. If this 'sticks' and no replacement funding can be found, half of our benefits caseworkers will be redundant.

The really strange thing about this is that the LSC believe that in the whole of Berkshire (pop: c. 950,000), just 1,190 people will have benefit problems...

Is this happening to anyone else?

What is the impact on your organisation?

What is the impact on your clients?

Anyone know why this is happening (serious answers only please)?

The whole process of LSC procurement is very bad for the client.
Each area in the country has had a cut to the matter stars in each category of law.
TheLSC have justified this by doing a recent reconciliation exercise with the top 100 providers and using the data to reduce matter starts.
In a time of recession when social welfare law advice is needed most, the LSC are seeking to reduce its budget and have a negative effect on the advice the general population can receive.

Same on WB in here in sunny Bolton. The current consumption of WB NMS is 1350 in the procurement area in contract year 09/10. The procurement plan is offering 900 pa- thats a cut of 450. Even if we are succesful in winning the tender there will therefore be a more than significant impact.

nothing new there then

i've never thought any of it was ever to do with access to justice in any field of law...

and if they were really concerned about their overall budget, they woudl never have abolished legal aid for PI (as they generally got their money back for that)

and i've been reading some interesting cases that the LSC have been losing on the subject of how much they pay criminal solicitors and never justify their reasons...

the list goes on.

and that's before anyone gets into whether any of their hoops are at all relevant to whether the people doing the work are actually getting the LAW right...

i would think you've all kept stats on how many cases you each have.

show that to the local MP and compare with the LSC's proposals...