Yesterday, under one month after Theresa May claimed that ‘austerity is over’, Phillip Hammond delivered his annual budget. As a law firm we have seen first-hand, over the last eight years, the devastating consequences of austerity.

Prior to the official speech we were ‘gifted’ a sample of what was to come, a £2bn spending increase in mental health services. This sum, nowhere near the amount experts say is needed to tackle the mental health crisis, “is a start” says Michael Davis our expert mental health adviser, “but a lot more is needed. There has to be some parity between mental health and physical health.”

The proposed funding given to Housing & Social Welfare seems to benefit the buyers, the landlords, the construction companies etc. but not the vulnerable in need of a roof over their heads. We are currently facing a homelessness crisis due to cuts, the behaviour of some rogue landlords and unaffordable housing. The people who are most at risk need to be empowered to challenge authorities through access to justice yet, we continue to see justice cuts?

In terms of welfare, we are happy to see a funding increase (Universal Credit is to be increased by £1.7bn) but we will have to wait to see how this is implemented before we label it a success. We represent clients who encounter more arrears problems through Universal Credit due to wrong or missed payments. As Jonathan Davidson, part of our Housing & Welfare team, states “The government have previously made mistakes with personal independent payments and are now having to pay people back. What good is this money if it is allocated incorrectly, leaving these vulnerable people out of pocket and at risk?”

The state of our prison system has been completely overlooked by the Chancellor. Here is a summary of what we are up against:

• Liverpool Echo reported on 13/10/18 that Merseyside now has the lowest recorded number of police officers since the early 1980s.    
• The Independent reported on 25/10/18 that in jails, inmate self-harm is up by 10%, inmate suicide rates are up by 12 percent and violent attacks are up 20%.
• Worsening conditions and increasing amounts of prison officer protests.

It seems the government think the introduction of PAVA (pepper spray) is a suitable remedy, as they intend to arm prison officers. Chris Topping, Head of Actions Against Police, believes that this is NOT the answer, “We have accounts of overcrowded, dilapidated, understaffed prisons which are barely fit for human habitation…It is a time for the prison system to be radically overhauled and funded so that those who are imprisoned can be properly rehabilitated into society.”

So it seems the ‘end of austerity’ does not apply to justice as there are MORE justice cuts. These cuts show a complete neglect of the most vulnerable people in our society. Esther Leach, Managing Director of Broudie Jackson Canter and Head of Crime & Prison Law, poignantly commented:

“The savage cuts to public services and to legal aid have felt like we have been in a permanent state of ‘austerity’ for the last eight years. In dealing with the legal impact of social injustice, we get to see on a daily basis the human cost of these policies. Access to justice is a backstop in any democratic society but even that has been eroded massively. Without universal access to justice there is no justice!”

Again, it has been left to NHS workers, local charities or organisations, school teachers and law firms like us to pick up the pieces and fight for the basic human rights of those forgotten by austerity.

If you have fallen victim to austerity we may be able to help you. We can advise you on; Taking Actions Against the Police, Asylum, Children Law, Civil Liberties, Immigration, Housing, Criminal Matters, Helping People with Mental Health Issues and Prison Law.  Please do not hesitate to request a callback or send us a message today.