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Legal aid contract Newcastle-upon-Tyne

Paul Stockton
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Can anyone tell me who holds the legal aid contract for welfare benefits in the Newcastle area?

Elliot Kent
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I don’t know if there are geographical restrictions on the welfare benefits contracts - there are so few providers who even do this work. There is a list here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers

I’m not aware of anyone here in Newcastle doing welfare benefits under legal aid. I think Stockton CAB was the last provider in the North East doing it. I could be wrong.

Advice providers in Newcastle include welfare rights, the law centre, CAB and me. Happy to talk through whether we can take it.

Paul Stockton
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Many thanks, Elliot. I knew there had to be a list somewhere online but I couldn’t find it!

It isn’t a case. I happened to meet a DWP official based in Newcastle who is doing some work to try to improve their dispute resolution processes and I suggested she might like to talk to advisers who do a lot of tribunal work to get a perspective on why they win so many appeals. She was keen so I offered to find her the names of relevant organisations.

Elliot Kent
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I’d be very happy to talk to them!

shawn mach
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Hi there ... we maintain a map of legal aid providers in social welfare law over on our advicelocal site ...

... here’s what we currently have for welfare benefits in the North East of England:

https://advicelocal.uk/map/search?category:region=342&category;:service=372&category;:law=1

Cheers - Shawn

Elliot Kent
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Could you update our entry on that (Shelter North East on Pilgrim Street) to include welfare benefits advice Shawn?

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Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 12:29 PM

I’d be very happy to talk to them!

As would I and I suspect one of my colleagues!

Elliot Kent
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CHAC Adviser - 13 February 2020 01:40 PM
Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 12:29 PM

I’d be very happy to talk to them!

As would I and I suspect one of my colleagues!

Have they sent you and NAI details of the North East Reps meeting at the end of the month?

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Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 01:53 PM

Have they sent you and NAI details of the North East Reps meeting at the end of the month?

I’ve been sent details for the DWP event at Stockton Jobcentre not sure if NAI has had details though!

Elliot Kent
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CHAC Adviser - 13 February 2020 02:08 PM
Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 01:53 PM

Have they sent you and NAI details of the North East Reps meeting at the end of the month?

I’ve been sent details for the DWP event at Stockton Jobcentre not sure if NAI has had details though!

Oh no that’s not it - Durham Welfare Rights have arranged a meeting for reps - I’ve emailed you (I think).

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Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 01:03 PM

Could you update our entry on that (Shelter North East on Pilgrim Street) to include welfare benefits advice Shawn?

Hi Elliot ..

We take our data from the LAA spreadsheet that you linked to (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers) ... it was last updated in December and would seem to have Pilgrim Street checked against Debt and Housing only ....

...  is their December dataset wrong, or have you added benefits more recently, or ....?

Cheers - Shawn

Elliot Kent
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shawn mach - 13 February 2020 02:22 PM
Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 01:03 PM

Could you update our entry on that (Shelter North East on Pilgrim Street) to include welfare benefits advice Shawn?

Hi Elliot ..

We take our data from the LAA spreadsheet that you linked to (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers) ... it was last updated in December and would seem to have Pilgrim Street checked against Debt and Housing only ....

...  is their December dataset wrong, or have you added benefits more recently, or ....?

Cheers - Shawn

No sorry the non-legal aid part just has us as housing only.

We had an LAA contract for welben in one of our offices until fairly recently but we no longer do.

shawn mach
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Hi again Elliot .. we do however have you listed here:

https://advicelocal.uk/map/search?category:region=342&category;:service=331&category;:law=3

... and, on the public-facing part of advicelocal, here: https://advicelocal.uk/find-an-adviser/tyne-and-wear

cheers - Shawn

Elliot Kent
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shawn mach - 13 February 2020 02:28 PM

Hi again Elliot .. we do however have you listed here:

https://advicelocal.uk/map/search?category:region=342&category;:service=331&category;:law=3

... and, on the public-facing part of advicelocal, here: https://advicelocal.uk/find-an-adviser/tyne-and-wear

cheers - Shawn

Sorry yes - you have us as providing advice in “housing” but we have a welben offer also (hence why I am employed!)

shawn mach
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Elliot Kent: No sorry the non-legal aid part just has us as housing only.

We had an LAA contract for wellbeing in one of our offices until fairly recently but we no longer do.

Oops our posts crossed ..

Ah, so we need to add you under our welfare benefits category too?

So, for example, here: https://advicelocal.uk/map/search?category:region=342&category;:law=1

.. and here on our welfare benefits page for the NE1 postcode: https://advicelocal.uk/share/resources/NE16TH/welfare-benefits#section-directory

Will get on to it ....

Cheers - Shawn

Elliot Kent
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Bingo - although I may regret asking if it sends too much work this way…

Thanks

shawn mach
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Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 02:41 PM

Bingo - although I may regret asking if it sends too much work this way…

Thanks

Here we go .... you’re now appearing, for example, on:

- our public-facing welfare benefits page for the NE1 postcode: https://advicelocal.uk/share/resources/NE16TH/welfare-benefits#section-directory
- our ‘Find an adviser’ page for Tyne and Wear: https://advicelocal.uk/find-an-adviser/tyne-and-wear
- our policy-focused map for welfare benefits in the NE of England: https://advicelocal.uk/map/search?category:region=342&category;:law=1

Hope that does the trick ... let me know if we need to update further ...

Cheers- Shawn

 

 

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Elliot Kent - 13 February 2020 02:18 PM

I’ve emailed you (I think).

You have! Thank you!