To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what information his Department holds on the number of law centres in each local authority area since 2010.
Answered on
11 July 2019
Not all Local Authorities have a Law Centre within their boundaries for a number of reasons. The LAA commissions services on a ‘Procurement Area’ basis. Procurement Areas align to one or a number of combined local authority areas and have been developed based on various local factors. Not all Procurement Areas can be compared on a like-for-like basis.
Individuals are not limited to accessing legal advice providers in the Procurement Area where they live and may access services from providers located in neighbouring local authorities, or at other contracted legal advice providers located locally.
The table below shows a list of those local authorities in which the LAA has been able to identify an LAA contracted Law Centre office in each financial year since 2010/11.
The figures in the LAA’s data may not give the full picture of coverage. There are a number areas where law centres may have chosen to consolidate offices but continue to deliver larger volumes of work across a whole procurement area.
Count of Law Centre offices in Local Authority | 2010/11 | 2011/12 | 2012/13 | 2013/14 | 2015/16 | 2016/17 | 2014/15 | 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 as at Jul19 |
Allerdale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Amber Valley | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Basildon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bedford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Bexley | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Birmingham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Bolsover | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Bradford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Braintree | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Brent | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Bury | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Caerdydd/Cardiff | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Calderdale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Camden | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Carlisle | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Castle Point | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chelmsford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Cheltenham | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Chesterfield | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
City of Bristol | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
City of Derby | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
City of Leicester | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
City of Nottingham | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
City of Plymouth | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
City of Westminster | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Colchester | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Copeland | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Coventry | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 1 |
Croydon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Ealing | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Epsom and Ewell | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Erewash | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gateshead | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Gloucester | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Greenwich | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Hackney | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Halton | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Hammersmith and Fulham | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Haringey | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Harlow | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Harrow | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
High Peak | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Hillingdon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Hounslow | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Ipswich | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Isle of Wight | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Islington | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Kensington and Chelsea | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Kingston upon Thames | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Kirklees | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Lambeth | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Leeds | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Lewisham | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Liverpool | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Luton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
Maldon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Manchester | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Merton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Newcastle upon Tyne | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
North East Derbyshire | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Oldham | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Rochdale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Rochford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sheffield | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 9 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
Southend-on-Sea | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Southwark | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
St. Helens | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Stockport | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Sunderland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Sutton | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Swindon | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Tendring | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Tower Hamlets | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trafford | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Wakefield | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Walsall | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Waltham Forest | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Wandsworth | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Warrington | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Warwick | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
Grand Total | 75 | 70 | 69 | 94 | 84 | 68 | 70 | 63 | 69 | 47 |
The Legal Aid Agency keeps availability of legal support under constant review and takes urgent action whenever it has concerns. We spent £1.6 billion on legal aid last year and in addition to the Civil Legal Advice Telephone service, we are investing £5m in innovative technologies to help people access legal support wherever they are.