Govanhill Law Centre future in doubt as Scottish government refuses funding

Rachel Moon

Rachel Moon, senior solicitor and legal services manager, said that if the centre does not close it will have to “dilute” its services.

She added: “Ever since we heard the news I have been thinking, ‘Who on earth will these people come to now?’

“The work we deal with is complex and multi-faceted and has taken a long, long time for us to understand and be able to help.”

The Scottish government has rationalised its various schemes under the new Equality and Human Rights Fund. Forty-eight organisations will benefit from the fund.

Govanhill Law Centre was opened in 2008 by the then Lord Advocate, Dame Elish Angiolini QC. It has been supported by the Scottish government every year until now.

It deals with slum landlords and gangmaster employees and also fights on its clients’ behalf for benefits and housing rights.

Ms Moon said: “There is a large amount of distrust in the community here but we work with a lot of groups where it has taken a lot of time and effort to ensure they come to us for help.

“In particular, we have a Czech interpreter who is very respected in the community and she has helped us build good relationships here.

“In the Romanian and Slovakian communities there is a lot of distrust of the authorities and of social work and we are overcoming that barrier.

“We don’t know what the EU Brexit fallout is going to be but we are braced for it in a way that other law firms are not.”

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar said: “This is an utterly shameful decision which threatens to tear the heart out of the community of Govanhill and leave thousands of residents defenceless.

“Throughout its history, the Govanhill Law Centre has been a shining beacon of the type of Scotland we all want to see.

“The centre has fought tirelessly for the rights of immigrants and refugees and has done all that it can to protect the people of one of Scotland’s most vibrant communities.

“Govanhill remains an area facing a series of serious challenges – child poverty, poor living conditions and rouge landlordism – is rife.

“For the First Minister and the Scottish government to end support for the centre while it has so much more vital work to do is shameless and dangerous.”

A Scottish government spokesman said: “We were oversubscribed by applications for the new Equality and Human Rights Fund and so unfortunately there are organisations which have not been successful.

“This was a competitive application process, independently assessed, and over 48 third sector organisations are being funded.

“They have received a share of more than £21 million – an increase of £1m per year to support their vital efforts to strengthen communities, further equality, and advance human rights.”