Vale of Clwyd MP Dr James Davies has welcomed news that Citizens Advice Denbighshire is one of 55 organisations across England and Wales to be awarded grants by the Access to Justice Foundation on behalf of the Ministry of Justice to strengthen the support to vulnerable people who are experiencing civil, family and social welfare legal problems.
The organisation, based in Denbigh, is to receive a Help Accessing Legal Support (HALS) grant of £41,160.00 and a Cost of Living Legal Support (CoLLS) grant of £14,672.00.
In July 2022 the Government announced the new HALS grant of £3.2m to support vulnerable people to resolve their legal problems, primarily social welfare issues including debt, housing and employment.
The 55 successful organisations were awarded funding following an application process.
This investment is being boosted by a further £1m in 2022/23 towards a Cost of Living Legal Support grant. This funding has been distributed through the Community Justice Fund and will go to 65 organisations across England and Wales, increasing support for people who have a legal problem as a result of the cost of living situation.
Welcoming the funding for the Vale of Clwyd, James said:
“Denbighshire Citizens Advice provide an excellent service offering practical, up-to-date information and advice on a wide range of topics, including; debt, benefits, housing, legal, discrimination, employment, immigration, consumer and other problems.
“I am therefore delighted that they have been awarded these two grants which will enable them to strengthen the support to vulnerable people in the Vale of Clwyd who are experiencing civil, family and social welfare legal problems, for example by helping people identify that they have a legal problem, supporting them to resolve their issue at the earliest stage, or supporting at the court or tribunal for those cases that progress.
“The funding will build on the progress made under the previous Litigants in Person grant provided by the Ministry of Justice between 2020-2022, through which around 33,000 people were supported on 36,000 legal issues by local and regional services.
“The Ministry of Justice values the essential work carried out by front line legal support organisations and, on 28 November, the Government announced a further £12m in grant funding to be awarded to charities providing support for people facing legal problems until March 2025. It is hoped that this new funding will continue to support people experiencing legal problems to resolve them as early as possible.”
For further information on Citizens Advice Denbighshire and the support they provide, visit http://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/index/denbighshirecab.htm
