Working to protect your legal rights
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Main MenuWe’d like to thanks Karen for sharing her story of wheelchair travel by train. There are too many people who have had the same experiences as Karen, which is why we’re campaigning for Accessible Rail For Derybyshire
Today we have hosted a meeting with disabled individuals, MPs and stakeholders to discuss the issues people face trying to travel by rail in our county. Attendees raised a lot of key points and the benefits of their lived experience was was eye opening. As a result of this, local MPs will be contacting the train companies to ask for greater support. It’s been a very productive day for our Accessible Rail For Derybyshire Campaign.
This week we’re focusing on our to achieve better rail travel for passengers with disabilities.
On Monday we were joined by Louise Jones MP and Toby Perkins MP who travelled with our team and volunteers from Chesterfield Station. They took part in a sight-loss simulation and experienced the passenger assist service.
On Thursday we’re bringing representatives from Northern Rail, Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road, as well as others to discuss possibilities for improvements in Derbyshire.
We are running eVisa clinics across Derbyshire to help support the Government’s transition to a digital immigration system. UK Visas and Immigration are creating a digital immigration system. This means they are replacing physical documents with an online record of your immigration status. This is known as an eVisa.
You don’t need to make an appointment – just turn up to a clinic!
On Friday 16 May the Legal Aid Agency discovered a cyber attack which took place in April, was more extensive than originally understood and that the group behind it had accessed a large amount of information relating to legal aid applicants.
They believe the group has accessed and downloaded a significant amount of personal data from those who applied for legal aid through their digital service since 2010.
At the end of March 2025 a significant proportion of our funding for our Employment Law Service came to an end. This means that we have had to reduce our team to 1 Solicitor, as well as reducing telephone call backs by 50%. We will be limited to initial telephone advice and will only be able to take on casework in exceptional circumstances. We are still providing a low cost option for different aspects of Employment Law for example Settlement Agreements and will be able to support clients who have experienced Discrimination at Work.
The Sheffield and District Legal Aid Society has awarded Derbyshire Law Centre two awards at the Annual Society Dinner at the end of February.
We are delighted to have been chosen for these awards. We work incredibly hard to offer an inclusive service that reflects our community and provide accessible, free legal advice to local residents. These awards are hugely appreciated and we’d like to thank all of the judges and other nominees for all of the help that they give in the legal community.
Happy new year to all of our friends and colleagues in the local area, we hope you had a restful festive break.
The new year brings changes for us at Derbyshire Law Centre. As some of you are aware the Law Centre was founded with a flat management structure reporting to our Board of Trustees. This management structure has allowed the organisation to respond to the needs of our community through collective decision making.
Lisa grew up in Eckington, on the border of North East Derbyshire. Talking about her upbringing Lisa said, “When I was at school the biggest career prospect was working in a nearby factory, all of the women caught a bus to another village to work there and the men went to work in the pit or the steelworks. I grew up in the midst of the mining strikes in the 1970s and 80s and witnessed first hand the destruction of our communities through widespread unemployment. I initially wanted to join the legal profession because it provided stable employment.”
Tina struggled with debt throughout numerous hospital stays and periods of being housebound. Her disability meant that she received PIP and UC and she fell behind with her rent and energy bills with rising costs. She signed up to an unaffordable Debt Management Plan and had to use her PIP to keep up with the payments rather than essential prescriptions and adaptations for her health condition.
We helped Tina end her unaffordable Debt Management Plan and get back on track with her debts. We worked with her social landlord to prevent her being evicted and energy company to make her tariff more affordable. We gave Tina free advice and helped her complete a Debt Relief Order application to write off her arrears and non-priority debts (in total over £8000).
