This month, GMLC has sent letters to Greater Manchester MPs inviting them to consider working with us on improving policy and practice for their constituents facing legal issues. We reprint our letter below, and encourage our members or volunteers to share this page with their MP if you would like us to work together on issues that affect people in the areas of housing, benefits, employment and public law.
Dear MP,
Firstly, please allow us to congratulate you on your success at the General Election and your recent swearing in as a Member of Parliament.
We are writing from Greater Manchester Law Centre (GMLC). GMLC provides free legal advice and representation to residents of all 10 Greater Manchester boroughs in the areas of employment, housing, welfare benefits and public law. Last year, we took on over 1400 cases and handled over 19000 enquiries. GMLC also campaign for the rights of GM residents across the areas of law we cover. More information about our services and campaigning can be found in our most recent annual report here.
Recently, we launched our Election Charter, sharing our perspective on what policy makers should commit to in support of improving the lives of the lower income residents of Greater Manchester, with five key policy areas:
- Access to justice
- A safe and secure home for all
- A fairer social security system
- Employment rights
- Ending the hostile environment
We would welcome you to read our Charter in full here and to pledge your support.
GMLC has made significant change to the lives of those in our communities in the past decade. Over the last year, we have:
- Directly supported residents to claim over £2 million (£4.5million since 2018) in wrongly refused welfare benefits, returning money to local economies, reducing demand on local authorities and decreasing poverty in the 10 boroughs;
- Helped over 300 households to challenge evictions, homelessness, rent rises and disrepair;
- Secured a landmark judgment in the High Court against the Home Secretary for failing to increase asylum support to avoid asylum seeker destitution, leading to an increase in asylum support rates;
- Advised over 300 people on their employment rights, enabling them to carry out Tribunal claims for issues such as unpaid wages, unfair dismissal and discrimination;
- Provided training to over 150 community and advice organisations to increase people’s knowledge of their rights and how to enforce them;
- Developed the next generation of social welfare lawyers, working with local universities and other organisations to train up dozens of students and volunteers to become advocates and legal advisers in social welfare law.
With your support, we can continue this vital work. We have worked successfully with local MPs in the past to deliver solutions for individuals who have approached their MP for help with casework, as well as working together on creating informed policy platforms rooted in the real experiences of our clients. As you are setting up your offices for this next Parliament, we would like to develop a working relationship with your team. The support we can offer includes:
- Training your staff on social welfare advice and how best to access legal support locally, regionally and nationally to support your constituents;
- Casework referrals for specialist social welfare law cases;
- Research and campaign materials and insights into the issues we see from the clients we advise and the constituents you represent.
We would like to invite you to a meeting with us, at your convenience, to further discuss how we could work together to ensure that individuals and communities access justice across Greater Manchester. You can contact development@gmlaw.org.uk for more information.
Yours sincerely,
Greater Manchester Law Centre
