Just a handful of legal aid providers across Worksop and Retford – despite warnings of legal aid 'deserts' across England and Wales

The figures come as the Law Society warns large areas of England and Wales have no access to some forms of legal aid.

Legal aid is given to those who cannot afford it to cover the costs of legal advice, mediation and representation – with funding ultimately coming from the Government.

Data from the Legal Aid Agency shows there were seven legal aid providers in Bassetlaw as of February.

The Law Society has warned key areas of law such as education, welfare, community care, immigration and housing are suffering from a lack of free advice and representation.

It estimates 53 million people, 90 per cent of the population, do not have access to a local legal aid provider for education and 84 per cent do not have access to one for welfare and benefits issues.

Bassetlaw was among areas without a legal aid provider for education law, and had no providers offering welfare and benefits services.

Assistance with crime and family law are the most common types of legal aid, with 1,684 and 1,434 practices offering them respectively.

There were two for crime and five for family law in Bassetlaw.

The Law Society said a 2012 cut to legal aid availability has had a disastrous impact on the ability of victims to seek justice.

The number of legal aid cases dropped from more than 900,000 in 2009-10 to 130,000 in 2021-22, while the number of people going to court without representation trebled.

Lubna Shuja, society president, said: “Everyone who qualifies for state-funded legal advice must be able to get it when they need it.

“The survival of these services is in the balance. People can’t get the legal support they need, when they need it.”

Rural areas tend to have worse access to legal support, while London had proportionally the most, with one provider for every 11,702 people. The East Midlands had one for every 22,699 people.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “Everyone can access legal help and advice either face-to-face, or through the Legal Aid telephone service.

“Last year, we invested £813m to ensure legal aid gets to those who need it most and are reviewing the sector to ensure the system is sustainable.