Oldham Law Centre closing down

Following recent reports that Oldham Law Centre was struggling to survive, it appears that it has now shut down, with staff being unpaid and liquidators cheques bouncing.

Earlier this month, the Oldham Advertiser ran a story which said that staff had been working without pay since November. The centre’s £120,000 annual funding was axed last June as Oldham council retendered its advice services contract, which was won by the Citizens Advice Bureau to allow it to set up local advice sessions.

Now, on the Oldham Law Centre Facebook page, Paul Johnson, supervising solicitor (who has worked at the Centre since it opened in 1987) has posted a statement:

Pay cheques bounced by liquidators! After working for 3 months without pay Law Centre staff were paid for a few weeks to wind things up. But we are still owed over 3 months pay. Last week we were told that we would be paid for this week and we were given cheques for this weeks pay. I presentred my cheque on Tuesday - it bounced. The liquidators now say they won’t pay staff even though I still have professional duties to clients with regard to closing or transferrring their cases. With neraly 200 open files left, this could take weeks.
This is the result of Oldham MBC cutting our funding but not making any arrangement for the cost of winding down an organisation which they had funded for nearly 25 years.
I will continue to do my best by remaining clients, but matters are slipping from my control.
What a way to end it all.
Paul.

That’s so sad…

It certainly is a great loss to our area.