Several Scottish charities are to receive grants using unclaimed funds from the Gutmann v SW Trains legal case (boundary fare class action).
The Access to Justice Foundation has announced that it will channel £3.9 million to 16 organisations in regions where class members are based and where access to free legal advice is most needed.
In Scotland, the funds will go to Motherwell & Wishaw Citizens Advice, Renfrewshire Citizens Advice and the Legal Services Agency.
The funding will also be channelled to organisations delivering services in London (including Citizens Advice Croydon and Work Rights Centre), the Southeast of England (including Southern England Law Centre and St Lukes Advice Service) and Wales (including South Wales Law Centre and Citizens Advice Caerphilly Blaenau Gwent).
CEO of Access to Justice Foundation, Clare Carter, said: “Unclaimed funds from collective actions represent a significant opportunity to strengthen access to justice. This ultimately protects consumers and boosts the economy.
These organisations are the first point of call for people to understand and enforce their rights. This grant round will ensure that the outcomes of collective actions are felt by consumers across the UK.”
The application process, which closed in March 2026, generated 315 applications totalling requests for over £70 million. The 17-times oversubscription is a stark reminder of the state of free legal advice in the UK. Legal and consumer advice charities are often the first and only port of call for people trying to enforce their rights, yet the sector is chronically underfunded.