Law centre helping Grenfell Tower victims reduced to relying on public donations and pro bono volunteers due to government and local authority austerity policies
updated on 28 July 2017
The law centre helping victims of the Grenfell Tower fire has had its funding slashed so severely that it is relying on public donations, charitable grants and lawyers choosing to work for free, it has been revealed.
An investigation by the Guardian into the realities faced by North Kensington Law Centre (NKLC) has shown that it is overstretched, understaffed and underfunded, having had its funding reduced by two thirds since 2010 as a result of swingeing cuts to legal aid. NKLC has also been historically underfunded by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which despite being one of the wealthiest boroughs in the country, only provided £62,350 in funding last year – an amount which NKLC director Victoria Vasey pointed out is barely enough to cover the rent of a decent office space. Despite the support of six City law firms who are now providing pro bono volunteers and offers of aid from across the legal profession, Vasey told the Guardian that NKLC is currently struggling just to survive, while doing its best to help its local community and most of all those affected by the Grenfell Tower fire.
NKLC’s situation is mirrored by the situation of other law centres – many have been forced to close in recent years, while those that remain are shadows of their former selves in terms of capacity and capability.
