Public Law Project awarded funding to work towards increasing access to judicial review in Wales

The Public Law Project (PLP) has been awarded funding – £150,000 over three years – to work towards improving access to justice in Wales.

Access to justice is increasingly challenging in Wales, with research suggesting that Wales has been even more adversely affected by cuts to legal aid and the reduction in legal aid providers since 2013 than England.

PLP will work with civil society organisations working with vulnerable groups to develop coordinated referral pathways to specialist help; bring cases and undertake advocacy and policy work with the aim of improving access to judicial review for disadvantaged groups. Activity will be supported by research – particularly into cost barriers and the civil justice system, and active engagement with policy and policy-makers in Wales.

This programme of work is one aspect of a broader ambition by PLP to extend their reach in “legal deserts”: PLP has also recently launched a similar project alongside Citizens Advice Plymouth in the South West of England where there is a similar lack of access to public law remedies.