Hillingdon Law Centre temporary closure: our statement

Hillingdon Law Centre, in West London, has been forced to temporarily suspend its services while it addresses a funding shortfall. Director of the Law Centres Network, Julie Bishop, said:

'The temporary closure of Hillingdon Law Centre is a blow to some of the most vulnerable people in west London, and a stark reminder of the fragility of the legal aid system that communities depend on.

'Hillingdon Law Centre has provided quality legal advice and representation for nearly fifty years to renters at risk of homelessness, to workers with nowhere else to turn, to asylum seekers and refugees navigating complex immigration issues. The people it serves did not have the option of finding a private solicitor which is precisely why a Law Centre existed there.

'That this closure comes in the same week that the Renters' Rights Act abolishes Section 21 is particularly painful and demand for housing legal advice in the communities Hillingdon Law Centre serves is only expected to grow.

'The Law Centres Network is working directly with Hillingdon Law Centre to help it reopen and continue serving its community because no Law Centre should have to face this alone. But the truth is, too many are. Across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Law Centres are being held together by short-term grants, emergency fundraising, and the extraordinary dedication of their staff. Hillingdon's situation is a symptom of a legal aid funding model that has been pushed past breaking point.

'The government must act. A community's ability to access legal assistance should not depend on a charity's ability to find its next grant.'

For media enquiries, please email media@lawcentres.org.uk.