Following the announcement on 1 December 2025 by Minister of State for Courts and Legal Services Sarah Sackman KC MP, the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) is seeking to attract additional providers in the Housing and Debt and Welfare Benefits Categories of Law under the 2024 Standard Civil Contract (“2024 Contract”).
The Government announcement includes uplifting housing and immigration legal aid fees by 18 million a year – the first major civil legal aid fee increase since 1996. There are Housing and Debt and Welfare Benefits opportunities in the following areas
- Barnsley
- Calderdale
- Cheshire
- City of Kingston upon Hull
- Doncaster
- East Riding of Yorkshire
- Hartlepool
- Herefordshire & Worcestershire
- Knowsley
- Leicestershire & Rutland
- North East Lincolnshire & North Lincolnshire
- Northumberland
- Portsmouth & Isle of Wight
- Rochdale
- Rotherham
- Sandwell
- Surrey
- Trafford
- Warrington & Halton
- West Lancashire
- Wigan
This can be achieved through
- the award of a 2024 Contract which includes a specific authorisation to conduct Housing and Debt and Welfare Benefits Contract Work; or
- the addition to existing Contracts of an authorised Schedule to deliver Outreach Services.
We are therefore inviting expressions of interest from organisations that would be interested in delivering Housing & Debt and Welfare Benefits services, including Outreach Services, until 30 June 2028.
The LAA intends to award contracts or schedules under this process to commence as soon as possible after the verification process is complete.
Organisations do not need to be existing 2024 Standard Civil Contract holders to respond to this opportunity, but the application process will differ according to whether Applicants
- already hold authorisation under a 2024 Housing and Debt Contract; or
- already hold authorisation under a 2024 Standard Civil Contract in another Category of Law; or
- do no hold a 2024 Standard Civil Contract
Next Steps
Please contact [email protected] by 5pm on Monday 15 December 2025 to express your interest in delivering the service including which group you belong to, following which you will receive details of next steps.
Following your expression, the deadline for the receipt of completed applications (for existing 2024 Standard Civil Contract holders) will be 5pm on Monday 12 January 2026.
If you do not hold a 2024 Standard Civil Contract you are required to submit a full Tender, see links below.
Where can I find out more?
For further details on the Housing and Debt and Welfare Benefits Category of Law please see Category Specific Rules
2024 Housing and Debt Category Specific Rules (PDF, 176 KB, 17 pages)
Further information
Re-opening 2024 Standard Civil Contract Procurement Process – GOV.UK
Multi-million-pound investment in legal aid to boost access to justice for victims – GOV.UK