Government Announces Injection of Funds For Legal Aid – Will It Ease The Pressure?

Multi-million pound legal aid investment – what it means for defendants and victims

When the government talks about “boosting access to justice for victims”, it can be easy to forget that a properly funded criminal legal aid system protects everyone – complainants, witnesses and defendants alike.

Without experienced defence solicitors, the courts simply cannot deliver fair or reliable outcomes.

The latest announcement of up to £92 million more each year for criminal legal aid sounds technical, but it has very real consequences for anyone under police investigation or facing court proceedings.

What has the government actually announced?

The Ministry of Justice has confirmed a significant funding package aimed at rebuilding a legal aid system that has been under strain for years. In summary:

• Criminal legal aid solicitors are set to receive up to an additional £92 million per year.
• Once fully implemented, this will amount to around a 24% overall uplift in criminal legal aid funding compared to pre 2021 levels.
• Housing and immigration legal aid fees will also increase, with an extra £18 million a year and a further £2 million for licensed work, supporting vulnerable people at risk of homelessness, trafficking or modern slavery.
• Most of these changes are due to take effect from 22 December 2025.

The Courts Minister has made it clear that the aim is to stabilise the legal aid sector, reduce delays and support wider reforms intended to tackle the serious backlog in the criminal courts.

Why does criminal legal aid funding matter for defendants?

For many years, criminal legal aid has been described as “neglected”. Fees have not kept pace with the complexity and volume of modern criminal cases.

As a result, firms have closed, experienced solicitors have left the profession and many areas now struggle to maintain an effective duty solicitor rota.

For defendants, that can mean:

– Difficulty finding a local legal aid firm to take on a case.
– Less continuity of representation from police station to court.
– Lawyers having to juggle high caseloads with limited time to prepare complex evidence.

In serious cases, this is not just inconvenient – it can affect the quality of representation and the fairness of the trial process.

Properly funded defence work is essential to testing the prosecution case, challenging unlawful evidence and ensuring that only properly proven allegations result in conviction.

How could this investment affect people facing investigation or charges?

If the promised money does reach frontline criminal defence, defendants should start to see some practical benefits, including:

– More firms able to stay open and continue taking on legal aid work, rather than withdrawing for financial reasons.
– Better prospects of keeping the same solicitor throughout a case, from the police station interview through to trial or sentence.
– Greater capacity for defence teams to instruct experts, analyse digital evidence and prepare mitigation in detail where someone chooses to plead guilty.
– A more balanced system overall, where the defence is properly resourced to respond to increasingly complex prosecutions.

None of this changes the basic reality that criminal proceedings are stressful, high stakes and often lengthy. 

However, a better funded legal aid scheme can make it more likely that your case is dealt with fairly and that your lawyer has the time and resources they need to fight your corner.

Civil legal aid and the wider justice system

The increase in housing and immigration legal aid fees is also relevant from a criminal defence perspective.

Many clients face overlapping problems – criminal allegations alongside immigration status issues, homelessness, or exploitation that may amount to modern slavery or trafficking.

If there are too few specialists in those areas, it becomes much harder to build a full picture of a person’s circumstances and present that to the criminal court in mitigation or in support of a defence.

Strengthening civil legal aid can therefore indirectly support better outcomes in criminal cases too.

Backlogs, reform and the road ahead

The funding announcement sits alongside wider plans to reform the criminal courts in response to record backlogs and long delays between charge and trial.

The government is due to respond to Part 1 of Sir Brian Leveson’s review, which has proposed substantial structural changes to how serious cases are tried.

For defendants, the combination of backlog and reform creates uncertainty.

People can wait years with a case hanging over them, with knock on effects for employment, family life and mental health.

At the same time, the legal framework itself may be changing while their case is in the system.

For example, the Ministry of Justice this week also announced this week that Jury trials are to be scrapped for cases where the maximum sentence is less than 3 years. 

In that context, having stable, properly funded defence representation is more important than ever. An experienced solicitor can explain what reforms mean in practice, keep track of long running cases and ensure that your rights are protected at every stage.

Why early legal advice still matters

Even with additional money in the system, one thing does not change – the earlier you obtain legal advice, the better your position is likely to be. Many of the most important decisions in a criminal case are made long before any trial, often at the police station.

If you are:

– Invited to a voluntary interview.
– Asked to attend the police station by appointment.
– Arrested or told that you are a suspect in an investigation.

You are entitled to ask for free and independent legal advice at the police station, regardless of your income. That advice is covered by legal aid and does not have to be repaid.

Early advice can influence what is said in interview, how evidence is disclosed, whether you are bailed, and what charges – if any – are ultimately brought. Waiting until a first court date to seek representation can put you at a disadvantage.

How We Can Help.

If you have any questions regarding legal aid or any other aspects of legal representation, call us now on 0161 477 1121 or email us.