Some law centres could be on the brink of collapse during the coronavirus pandemic, putting access to justice at risk, MPs have warned.
More funding should be provided for law centres and other not-for-profit legal services providers, the House of Commons Justice Committee said.
A report by the committee into the impact of coronavirus on the legal professions in England and Wales said publicly funded providers were already "under stress" before the outbreak and must be supported now to ensure they are there to give "access to real justice" in future.
Caseloads in both Crown and magistrates' courts as well as police stations dropped by around 40% in April as the lockdown took hold, compared with the first quarter of the previous year, the