Written by Nadoya Reid, Communication and Information Officer at London Legal Support Trust
On Monday 20th October, we attended a Parliamentary Reception held by our partners in the Advice Workforce Development Fund (AWDF) programme, Advice UK, for the launch of their landmark report Advice Works: Building a Skilled Advice Sector Workforce. The event marked the start of the 2025 Advice Saves campaign, which this year highlighted the urgent need to strengthen and sustain the advice workforce.
Hosted by Terry Jermy MP, the event brought together lawmakers, independent advice agencies, and funders to address the growing workforce crisis in the sector. Liz Bayram, CEO of Advice UK, delivered a powerful call for national workforce strategies to ensure a sustainable, skilled advice sector, one able to meet the surging demand for support as communities across the country face mounting pressures.
The Advice Works report paints a vivid picture of a sector under strain, with annual caseloads in 2024–25 40% higher than the 2018–2022 average, and 88% of agencies struggling to recruit staff. Alarmingly, only one in ten agencies feel confident that they can continue operating beyond the next year. Research commissioned by AWDF partners into pay and conditions, showing that advisers’ salaries in London have fallen 7.5% since 2014, compared with an overall UK increase of 3.6%.
Amid those sobering figures, the report also offers hope. It features a case study on Skilling Up For Justice, part of the AWDF and funded by Propel, which demonstrates how investment in accredited learning and supported supervision can create real career pathways from volunteering to paid roles. Building on the work done by the AWDF programme, the Advice Works: Building a Skilled Advice Sector Workforce report calls for a National Advice Workforce Strategy, co-developed and co-owned by national governments and the sector.
Speakers at the reception included Sarah Sackman MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, Jhoanna Mosquera, Director at Latin American House, and Alice Tibbert, Director at Housing Matters, a Bristol-Based charity, whose insights brought to life both the pressures and the promise within our sector nationwide.
Staff from another of our valued AWDF partners, Disability Law Service, featured in a short documentary on the critical role members of the advice workforce play in supporting people and communities in times of great need.
We were proud to see the collaborative work of the AWDF partners recognised through the report and event. We stand with Advice UK in calling for National Advice Workforce Strategy to secure the future of our essential advice services.
