COMMUNITY LAW CENTRES FACE FUNDING CRISIS
Community Law Centres have been advised by the Legal Services Agency that their annual funding will be cut by 44% in the upcoming year. The rapid fall in interest rates and the stagnant real estate market have directly contributed to the decline in centre funding, as centres rely almost entirely on lawyers’ trust account interest for their day to day operations. Thus, a 1% drop in the daily cash rate effectively cuts law centre funding by $1 million.
Community Law Centres support and assist clients with issues such as family, ACC, WINZ, employment, housing, debt, consumer rights and immigration. Reductions in, or termination of, services will have a severe impact on communities as many clients find legal fees (average rate = $200 per hour) unaffordable. Community Law Centres also empower their clients to enforce their legal rights on their own through providing information, websites, education and support.
Community Law Centres are determined to galvanize public support to urge the Government to provide funding so that centres can maintain current services. Petitions will be circulated at community events, public places and on the internet.
For a quick look at what they do, as well as more information on their difficulties see the website of the community law services.
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