A funding programme is to offer £3.9m to legal advice charities, following a train fare court case.

Last year the Competition Appeal Tribunal approved the granting of unclaimed damages in the case to the charity Access to Justice Foundation to distribute to good causes. This award totalled £3.7m.

The Foundation has this week announced details of how charities can apply for funding, through its newly launched Improving Lives Through Advice 2026 fund.

This will offer three-year unrestricted funding to organisations in Scotland, Wales, the Southeast of England and London that deliver free legal services.

These areas have been selected according to where those impacted by the case are based and where there are gaps in access to free advice.

Target regions have been selected according to where class members from the Boundary Fare case are based, areas that face the most persistent gaps in access to free legal advice and where we have few grants currently distributed.

As this programme is distributing funds from a collective action, we will be expecting funded partners to work with us to demonstrate the impact of this funding.

The aim of the fund is to increase access to justice for “those who need it most”, said the Foundation.

Applications will be accepted from 16 February until 16 March.

The funding award for the Foundation by the Tribunal follows a £25m legal settlement against Stagecoach South West Trains following a case alleging that train companies charged travelcard holders twice for part of their journey.

An estimated 1.4m passengers are potentially eligible to be compensated but only around £200,000 had so far been claimed last year. Under the terms of the settlement the Tribunal can decide how the remaining money can be spent.

---