A Welling solicitors is offering a potential lifeline to Bexley residents being taken advantage of by their employers.

Hadfield and Co has launched a free telephone advice service for those who may not be able to afford commercial solicitors’ fees to take on companies for money they are owed.

Since the government withdrew legal aid for employment actions in April 2013, many workers have been put off by the £250 needed to register a claim and the £950 to have it heard, with no guarantee the fees will be refunded.

The closure of Cross Street Law Centre in Erith in March last year further restricted access to legal counsel for those with claims for unpaid holiday and notice pay and people employed by companies not paying the minimum wage.

But Hadfield and Co, based in Central Avenue, is offering help for those with nowhere else to turn, such as claimants owed smaller sums like £500 which it is not commercially viable for a solicitor to charge them for pursuing.

Alex Allen is seeking a full redundancy package from the insurance brokers where she worked for nearly 10 years after they only offered her statutory redundancy – a difference of more than £1,500.

The 52-year-old, of Swingate Lane in Plumstead, said: “I wouldn’t have been able to afford this without free advice.

“I still haven’t made up my mind about whether to try and take the claim to a tribunal but the input has been invaluable.

“I did speak to a couple of other people but they were really unhelpful.”

Employment case worker Patrick McNamee said: “What we will do is tell you what you need to know to get through a case you will win if you get a hearing.

“We are helping people who are falling through the net simply because places like the law centre have gone.

“We are using this as a way of getting work in but on the other hand it’s also assisting people who don’t have the means to make a small claim and don’t know what to do really.”

Erith and Thamesmead MP Teresa Pearce said: “Teresa Pearce said: “It was a very sad day for many of my constituents when Cross Street Law Centre had to close.

“Week in week out I meet people who have been unfairly treated but can't afford to access justice as they cannot afford a lawyer.

“I am pleased to see a local law firm trying to find new ways to assist people who need legal advice.”

Call 0208 311 0555 for the free advice line.

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