New report finds free consumer advice delivers £10.40 for every £1 invested

Drawing on research with 92 Access to Justice Foundation-funded organisations supporting more than 574,000 people annually, the report highlights the critical role that free legal advice plays in helping people enforce their rights, resolve disputes and secure redress.

The findings demonstrate that investment in free consumer advice delivers substantial benefits for individuals, communities and the wider economy.

The report also highlights growing pressure on advice providers. More than half of Access to Justice Foundation-funded organisations reported having to turn away cases involving complex housing disrepair or representation at employment tribunals due to limited resources and capacity.

At the same time, providers report increasing demand as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect households across the country, with more people seeking free legal advice who would previously have paid for support.

The research also challenges narrow definitions of consumer harm. While unsafe housing and problem debt were identified as the most common issues faced by clients, these are often excluded from mainstream understandings of consumer protection despite their significant impact on people’s lives.

The report argues that a broader understanding of consumer harm is needed to better reflect the realities faced by individuals seeking advice and the work undertaken by frontline advice organisations.

Access All Areas was commissioned by the Access to Justice Foundation and independently produced by Pragmatix Advisory. The research combines survey responses from 92 funded partner organisations with in-depth interviews conducted across a diverse range of advice providers, including law centres, Citizens Advice bureaux, housing advice charities, employment rights organisations and specialist legal advice services.