Landlords And Estate Agents Face Longer Wait To Evict Tenants
Landlords and estate agents are likely to face an even longer wait to evict tenants and settle disputes after last week’s Budget effectively saw justice on the receiving end of a swathe of cuts.
And The Law Society says curtailing justice spending could even lead to system wide failure.
Law Society Vice President Nick Emmerson says: “The justice system is in crisis and facing systemic failure. Increased funding is vital to keep it functioning.
INFLATION
“But instead, with inflation so high, the Ministry of Justice budget has effectively been cut. There aren’t any more savings to be made in a justice system which is already breaking down after decades of underinvestment.”
Emmerson says that England and Wales is faced with a situation where access to justice is needed more than ever but has never been so endangered.
BACKLOGS
He adds: “In criminal justice, there are huge backlogs for landlords and estate agents in the courts. Victims’, witnesses’ and defendants’ lives are in limbo as they wait years for justice, with cases listed as far ahead as 2024.
“Courts are crumbling, dogged by delays, and there are chronic shortages of judges and lawyers as professionals leave this underpaid work in their droves. Duty schemes are failing, leaving the right to representation at police stations in peril.”
The cost-of-living crisis and public spending cuts mean more and more people will need legal help.”
Emmerson says that recruiting more police and talking tough on crime is all well and good but will matter little if the courts can’t deal with the volume of cases already going through the system.
“The cost-of-living crisis and public spending cuts mean more and more people will need legal help with life-changing issues such as homelessness and debt. But who is going to give that vital advice if there aren’t enough solicitors to meet the current demand? The government will be forced to pick up the pieces, at greater cost, further down the line.”
If you have any comments, please email the author of this article and click on the link above