LIVERPOOL will be the worst-hit region in the country under plans to slash £290m from the annual legal aid bill.

The proposals by Justice Secretary Ken Clarke will affect clinical negligence, family cases and employment law in England and Wales, although legal aid will remain for criminal cases.

The aim of the reforms is to make significant cuts to the £2bn-plus annual bill.

The Legal Action Group – a charitable organisation which campaigns for equal access to justice for all members of society – has now worked out the consequences of the legal aid cuts. These revealed that Liverpool would have its legal aid funding cut by almost £2m, the biggest reduction in England and Wales.

Michael Danby, a specialist in clinical negligence from Liverpool law firm Maxwell Hodge, believes the changes are likely to have a huge impact on people in the region.

He said: “If the cuts are made, then access to the justice system will be affected. It will have an effect on some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in society. At worst, it will mean that it will not be possible for legitimate claims for compensation for clinical negligence to be made and this is just plain wrong.”