Generate an appropriate single-sentence summary for the given text such that it includes the main topic of the text.

The Justice Select Committee said without support from a lawyer, victims found it difficult to leave abusive partners and were open to intimidation. Its report criticised the government's legal aid changes and said they had "harmed access to justice" for some. The Ministry of Justice said legal aid is available where it is needed and the reforms were kept "under close review". The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (Laspo) removed legal aid from private family law, but those who can provide evidence of domestic violence are still eligible. This evidence must be from no more than two years ago. The committee heard that this requirement "presented problems for victims", as a court case could happen long after a relationship breakdown. Clare Laxton, public policy officer at charity Women's Aid, told the committee that some of the most common forms of domestic abuse, including emotional and psychological abuse, are difficult to evidence. 'Barriers to justice' The committee said the Ministry of Justice had failed in three of its four objectives for Laspo. There had been a "significant rise" in litigants in person, the Ministry of Justice had "failed to target legal aid" to those who need it most, and it had failed to prove that it was better overall value for money, the report said - although savings had been made. Recommendations from the committee included better information from the government on eligibility for legal aid. Committee chairman Sir Alan Beith said while the Ministry of Justice had successfully made savings, this had "limited access to justice for some of those who need legal aid the most". He said it was "vitally important" the Ministry of Justice remedied this. Jenny Beck, co-chairwoman of the Legal Aid Practitioners Group, said that it was difficult for people in crisis to obtain legal advice because of "unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles". "The cuts to the legal aid system have resulted in barriers to justice for ordinary people," she said. Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said abuse victims face "overwhelming challenges" because of restrictions on legal aid. "It is unacceptable that victims are left to shoulder the burden of obtaining evidence in order to protect their children or separate from their abuser," she said. "Paying legal aid contributions or meeting evidence requirements that mainly focus on physical abuse create extra barriers to justice for victims of financial abuse." A Ministry of Justice spokesman said legal aid was a "vital part" of the justice system. "We protected civil legal aid so it remains available where legal help and advice is most needed," he said. "It is entirely untrue to allege people who are eligible for legal aid under Laspo did not get it. "We are keeping these reforms under close review and have already made changes to address issues raised. "We are also undertaking a comprehensive research programme to better understand why people choose to go court and how they deal with legal problems."
More than a third of domestic violence victims cannot provide evidence to get legal aid, MPs have warned.

In a film shown on The Guardian, the Labour leader said he was experiencing a problem "many passengers face every day" on the London to Newcastle train. But Virgin said CCTV showed Mr Corbyn and his team walking past available seating before starting filming. It says the crew helped him to a carriage where seats were available and he sat for the rest of his journey. According to The Guardian's report last week, the footage of the Labour leader was taken by Yannis Mendez, a freelance filmmaker who volunteers for his campaign. The Labour leader chose the spot on the floor instead of upgrading to first class, it said. In the footage, Mr Corbyn said: "This is a problem that many passengers face every day, commuters and long-distance travellers. Today this train is completely ram-packed. "The staff are absolutely brilliant, working really hard to help everybody. "The reality is there are not enough trains, we need more of them - and they're also incredibly expensive." Mr Corbyn said the episode made the case for the railways to be renationalised, one of his key policy pledges. How Virgin says the journey unfolded He had been travelling to Newcastle to take part in a hustings against Owen Smith, who is challenging him for the leadership of the Labour Party. Virgin founder Sir Richard Branson tweeted a link to the CCTV images, saying Mr Corbyn had "walked past empty unreserved seats then filmed claim train was 'ram-packed'". The company said that after Mr Corbyn's team had finished filming: "The same footage then shows Mr Corbyn returning to coach H and taking a seat there, with the help of the onboard crew, around 45 minutes into the journey and over two hours before the train reached Newcastle. "Mr Corbyn's team carried out their filming around 30 minutes into the journey." It said the first stop on the journey, on 11 August, had been York - 1:50 hrs after leaving London. Mr Corbyn's campaign team said: "When Jeremy boarded the train he was unable to find unreserved seats, so he sat with other passengers in the corridor who were also unable to find a seat. "Later in the journey, seats became available after a family were upgraded to first class, and Jeremy and the team he was travelling with were offered the seats by a very helpful member of staff." They released photos of other people sitting on the floor and comments from a fellow traveller who said the service was "very overcrowded". Asked about the CCTV footage apparently showing Mr Corbyn walking past seats without "reserved" signs on them, the Labour leader's team said some of these seats had bags on them which appeared to belong to people who had gone to the toilet. Analysis by Tom Bateman, BBC political correspondent On one level, this is a story that appears trivial - about whether a politician could find a seat on a train. But it is fast developing into a political row between the leader of the opposition and one of Britain's biggest rail firms. Jeremy Corbyn's video on the floor of the train made a political point - that the "ram-packed" train showed the case for the renationalisation of the railways. Here was a Labour leader attacking the performance of private train companies in a vivid and visual way. The response: Richard Branson today tweeted the claim that Mr Corbyn had walked past empty seats - complete with CCTV picture. Team Corbyn's statement appears to add another perspective about events on the 11:00 Kings Cross to Edinburgh: That other passengers sat on the floor too. It will be important for a leader who promised a "new kind of politics" and authenticity not "spin" - his opponents would waste no time attacking him if they believed the video was stage managed. At a leadership rally in east London, Sam Tarry - Mr Corbyn's campaign spokesman - accused the Virgin boss of taking a "pop" at the Labour leader for challenging the status quo. He said the "spat" illustrated that the "establishment is absolutely petrified at what this campaign and what this movement is all about" - adding that Labour's commitment to renationalise the "failed" railways had "great resonance" with the public. Virgin Trains, which runs the service as part of its East Coast franchise, thanked Mr Corbyn for his praise for its staff and said more capacity was being introduced at peak times. The operator told Press Association that two passengers were moved from standard to first class so that Mr Corbyn could sit next to his aide. It added: "But we have to take issue with the idea that Mr Corbyn wasn't able to be seated on the service, as this clearly wasn't the case. "We'd encourage Jeremy to book ahead next time he travels with us, both to reserve a seat and to ensure he gets our lowest fares, and we look forward to welcoming him onboard again." On Twitter, Mr Smith said his campaign remained "on track" and that he was "proud to be genuinely standing up for ordinary people". The Transport Salaried Staffs Association said Virgin Trains was being "disingenuous", claiming the empty seats were in fact reserved. Manuel Cortes, the union's general secretary, said: "Passengers fully empathised with this story because far too many of them are having to put up with the sort of travel that Jeremy was right to highlight on a regular basis and have had to pay through the nose to do so. "No amount of spinning by Virgin will dent the people's will to see our railways brought back into public ownership."
Virgin Trains has questioned footage showing Jeremy Corbyn sitting on the floor of a "ram-packed" service.

Councillors announced proposals to create a Cotswold-West Oxfordshire authority, on Thursday. Lynden Stowe, from Cotswold District Council, insists the Cotswolds would still remain part of Gloucestershire. But Gloucestershire County Council's Mark Hawthorne, said he did not want to see the county "torn up in this way". In a bid to get rid of Oxfordshire County Council, district council leaders across the region are hoping to create four new unitary councils. Cotswold District Council, is one of two councils in Gloucestershire hoping to join the new structure. But Mr Hawthorne, leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said he was "very disappointed" and was "committed to keeping Gloucestershire together". "Gloucestershire as a county has existed for 1,000 years and the Cotswolds has been an integral part of Gloucestershire for all that time," he said. "You can't suddenly be in Gloucestershire in the heart of the Cotswolds one day and suddenly find yourself being part of Oxfordshire the next. 'Not redrawing borders' "This isn't just about does this stack up financially, this is about is this right for Gloucestershire? Is this right for Cotswold residents to see our county torn up in this way?" However Mr Stowe, leader of Cotswold District Council, insists that "of course" the Cotswolds would still be part of Gloucestershire. "We're not redrawing any borders, these traditional historic borders are going to stay absolutely in place. What I'm saying though is about the administration and the delivery of council services," he said. "And there's a great deal of synergy between the Cotswolds and West Oxfordshire - after all we both have this thread of the Cotswolds running all the way through us."

A plan for Cotswold District Council to from a unitary authority with West Oxfordshire could mean "the end of Gloucestershire", it has been claimed.

