Law centres are unlikely to 'boycott' the new Legal Services Commission (LSC) contracts (see [2006] Gazette, 16 November, 3). A boycott would imply that we would not sign them. The likely reality is that we could not sign them. It is the duty of centres to represent the most disadvantaged people and communities. The contract does not allow that. The LSC is right to claim that it is possible to make money under the contract. What is not possible is to provide an appropriate service for those most in need while remaining solvent.


To avoid making severe losses on the contract would require the exclusion of many people who are already socially excluded, and would involve both race and disability discrimination. This was not the aim of the Carter review or the government.



There is an answer to how the best provision of social welfare legal services at the best value for money can be gained, but the proposed contract is not it. Haste has led to a poor contract that will undermine services and miss huge opportunities. Surely there is sufficient statesmanship within the Department for Constitutional Affairs to delay implementation to allow for full consultation and planning.



Bob Nightingale, chief executive, South West London Law Centres