Civil Legal Aid (Neighbours’ Dispute Mediation Services) Bill 2023

Public bill · Private Member · Introduced

The Civil Legal Aid (Neighbours’ Dispute Mediation Services) Bill 2023 would add a new mediation service for disputes between neighbours to the civil legal aid system. It defines neighbour disputes broadly, covering problems such as noise, smells, litter, hedge or tree issues, dog nuisance, party-wall disputes, anti-social behaviour, waste burning, CCTV and personal data concerns. The service would be run by the Legal Aid Board, and anything said in the mediation would generally be kept private and could not be used as evidence in court. It would also allow the Minister to set fees, with scope to waive or reduce them in some cases, and to bring the changes into effect within nine months of passage.

Formal long title

Bill entitled an Act to amend and extend the Civil Legal Aid Act 1995 and to provide for related matters.

Last updated 30 January 2025