MORE people than ever in Tavistock received legal aid between April 2006 and March 2007, according to the Legal Services Commission. Figures show the greatest number of civil cases in a year since the commission was set up in 2000, with Tavistock seeing an increase of over 14% more legal aid cases. Geoff Mountjoy, regional director of the South and West Legal Services Commission, said: 'I am proud that this year we have helped more people to get legal aid by working with quality assured value for money advice providers. 'Without our help they could not have afforded the legal advice they needed and their problems would have escalated. 'Legal aid is vital to the Government's social inclusion programme. Our research shows that one in three people will need legal advice of some kind in any three and a half year period.' Carolyn Regan, chief executive of the commission, said: 'The rising number of people getting legal aid to help them with their problems in housing, debt, family and other civil legal matters represents a major achievement, not least because it was done within a fixed budget.'
