NICOLA Sturgeon has been accused of "hypocrisy" after a Scottish Government funding decision means a vital South Side service may close.

Govanhill Law Centre has this week been rejected for a £75,000 grant, a devastating blow to its income and one that could spell the end for the legal hub.

Solicitors said the cash axe could not have fallen at a worse time as the community reels from the impact of Brexit, the pandemic and a potential rise in evictions.

Rachel Moon, senior solicitor and legal services manager, said: "This is the biggest sucker punch.

"If we don't close, we will have to look at seriously diluting our services, which would defeat one of the aims of the law centre, which is to be always here, always available and to offer clients the dignity and respect of knowing they can walk from their homes straight into the centre and see a solicitor.

"Ever since we heard the news I have been thinking, 'Who on earth will these people come to now?'

"The work we deal with is complex and multi-faceted and has taken a long, long time for us to understand and be able to help."

This year the Scottish Government has brought together various funding pots to create the new Equality and Human Rights Fund.

The government says a total of 48 organisations – including Govanhill's Romano Lav charity, which works with the Roma communities – will benefit from the funds.

But GhLC was rejected, leaving it with a sudden gaping hole in its finances.

Opened in 2008, Govanhill Law Centre (GhLC) was founded to serve the needs of what is one of the most ethnically diverse areas of Scotland with high levels of deprivation.

It was opened by the then-Lord Advocate, Dame Elish Angiolini, and was initially funded by Oxfam Scotland and the trade unions Unison and USDAW.

Oxfam said at the launch it was the first time the charity had funded a law centre anywhere in the world.

Funding also came from the Scottish Government, which has supported GhLC every year until now.

The community has a large Roma population and law bosses said they are worried about issues with residents securing the correct immigration status post-Brexit.

Glasgow Times: Govanhill Law Centre Picture: Gordon Terris

On top of poverty, deprivation and discrimination in the area, private landlords will soon be able to evict tenants again as protections written into law under the Coronavirus Act end.

A high number of clients, the centre said, have lost their jobs and financial crises are predicted as furlough comes to an end.

GhLC is unique in that it has embedded itself in the Govanhill community over the past decade, building trust among communities that do not have historically good relationships with the authorities.

It works alongside other agencies to tackle slum landlords and gangmaster employees, as well as fighting for benefits, employment, immigration and housing rights of local people.

The centre employs translators and staff who speak community languages and who are respected in the area.

Solicitors give walk-in advice and support and now serve hundreds of clients every year for a full range of legal services.

As well as working with individuals, the centre has also undertaken strategic litigation cases, such as a recent Supreme Court victory that will allow asylum seekers granted refugee status the right to claim backdated child tax credits.

Rachel added: "The most important thing we have here is the trust element.

"There is a large amount of distrust in the community here but we work with a lot of groups where it has taken a lot of time and effort to ensure they come to us for help.

"In particular, we have a Czech interpreter who is very respected in the community and she has helped us build good relationships here.

"In the Romanian and Slovakian communities there is a lot of distrust of the authorities and of social work and we are overcoming that barrier.

"We don't know what the EU Brexit fall out is going to be but we are braced for it in a way that other law firms are not."

Rachel said the law centre deals with a "maelstrom of issues" and said it is "unbelievable the exploitation" in the community by "shady" operators.

Labour leader Anas Sarwar said the decision would devastate the community and make local people more vulnerable to exploitation.

He said: “This is an utterly shameful decision which threatens to tear the heart out of the community of Govanhill and leave thousands of residents defenceless.

“Throughout its history, the Govanhill Law Centre has been a shining beacon of the type of Scotland we all want to see.

“The centre has fought tirelessly for the rights of immigrants and refugees and has done all that it can to protect the people of one of Scotland’s most vibrant communities.

“Govanhill remains an area facing a series of serious challenges – child poverty, poor living conditions and rouge landlordism – is rife.

“For the First Minister and the Scottish Government to end support for the centre while it has so much more vital work to do is shameless and dangerous."

The Glasgow Times told earlier this week that Nicola Sturgeon is opening the Govanhill Carnival this weekend.

Anas added: “To do this while the First Minister is opening the Govanhill carnival and praising the vibrancy of the area smacks of hypocrisy.

“The people of Govanhill deserve more than to be a backdrop to the First Minister’s photo ops.

"They deserve local heroes like the Govanhill Law Centre fighting for their rights.

“I urge the government to reconsider its decision.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: "We were oversubscribed by applications for the new Equality and Human Rights Fund and so unfortunately there are organisations which have not been successful.

"This was a competitive application process, independently assessed, and over 48 third sector organisations are being funded.

"They have received a share of more than £21 million – an increase of £1m per year to support their vital efforts to strengthen communities, further equality, and advance human rights."