Access to justice: Is the Government doing enough?

At the end of September, I attended the Labour Party Conference, where justice was a major focus but one key point was missing.

One of the key themes of the conference was the announcement of a way forward for the Hillsborough Law, formally known as the Public Office (Accountability) Bill.

The Hillsborough Law has long been campaigned for, following the Hillsborough disaster in 1989 which resulted in the deaths of 97 football fans during an FA Cup semi-final match at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield.

The Government had previously committed to introducing the law before the next anniversary of the disaster on 15 April 2025. That date came and went without any public update, although discussions were continuing behind the scenes between politicians, civil servants and campaigners to agree what the law would look like in practice.

In the run-up to the Labour Party Conference, a way forward was finally announced. During the conference, Labour MPs and activists spoke about this as a major success, and it was mentioned at several events and in the Prime Minister’s closing speech.

Across the legal sector, many have welcomed the Bill for the difference it could make in improving access to justice. The Bill’s provisions include:

• A Duty of Candour for public officials, with criminal sanctions for breaches
  • Publicly funded legal representation for bereaved families at inquests
  • A new Office for Misleading the Public to help hold public authorities to account

Although some campaigners have criticised the Bill for not going far enough, it is widely recognised as a significant step forward.

The announcement of publicly funded legal representation for bereaved families at inquests is particularly welcome. At BBK, this is an issue we have campaigned on for some time, and it was included in our Manifesto for Injured People 2024.

The introduction of the Hillsborough Law marks real progress towards accountability and fairness within the justice system. However, I was disappointed that there was so little discussion during the conference about another serious issue affecting access to justice – the ongoing crisis in the accessibility of our court estate.

At BBK, we conducted our own research which found only 2% of British courthouses are fully accessible and just 16% are fully accessible for wheelchair users. These are not abstract statistics. They reflect the lived experiences of people who have already faced trauma and must then navigate a court system that is physically unwelcoming and, in some cases, impossible to use.

When we talk about access to justice, progress on legal aid is vital, but it cannot stand alone. We cannot claim to have true access to justice if the people who work in the legal sector and those who rely on it are unable to enter or use our courts.

This cause is so important that we have featured it as a policy in this year’s BBK Manifesto for Injured People.

At BBK, we will continue to work with politicians from all parties to campaign for better access to justice and for a court estate that is inclusive and accessible to everyone.