She said: ‘We are very sad to have arrived at the decision to close the Law Centre, not least because children and young people across London, and many other adults, will lose an important service. We have a dedicated, hard-working team who have worked wonders for our clients. They have not only delivered excellent legal advice and casework, but have always done so in a sensitive and caring way, supporting young people and all clients at a crucial time in their lives when they are at their most vulnerable.’

According to the Law Centres Network (LCN), Streetwise was the first centre in England to specialise in legal advice for this client group, providing advice and representation in housing, education, welfare benefits, debt and community care, assisting young people in a ‘joined up service’.

Julie Bishop, director of the LCN, said in a statement on the organisation’s website: ‘Streetwise is truly a “Law Centre that could” and is a great loss to the Law Centre’s clients. It had an innovative approach that sought to address the specific needs of its client group. The fact that funding cuts are making such a service unsustainable means that central and local government are both effectively failing our young people, denying them a vital lifeline and exposing them to avoidable hardship and distress. This is a sad day for young people and a sad day for justice.’