Why Lasting Power of Attorney Must Be Dragged into the Digital Age

By Matt Cresswell, Founder of Power of Attorney Online, a digital tool that helps individuals and families complete their LPA applications accurately and affordably, with clear support every step of the way.

 

In 2025, with AI transforming every sector from banking to healthcare, it’s easy to assume that the fundamental systems we rely on to protect our loved ones are keeping up. But when it comes to Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), one of the most critical legal tools in the UK, the reality is staggeringly outdated. And thanks to a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request submitted by my team at Power of Attorney Online, we now know there’s no government investment planned to change that anytime soon.

Despite years of consultation, increasing demand and cross-party support for digital reform, our FOI revealed that neither the Ministry of Justice nor HM Treasury has allocated any funding in the June 2025 Spending Review to modernise the LPA system. The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), which oversees LPAs, is considered “fee-funded” and therefore excluded. Treasury confirmed it held “no information” at all, a clear sign that this critical issue is falling through the cracks.

 

The Cost Of Inaction

 

This is not just a policy oversight, it’s a national risk.

An LPA allows someone to legally appoint a trusted individual to make decisions about their finances, property or healthcare if they lose mental capacity. Without it, families must apply to the Court of Protection, a costly and time-consuming process that can take months, all while crucial care decisions hang in the balance.

Yet despite this, the process for setting up an LPA is still paper-based, error-prone and painfully slow. Over 50,000 applications are rejected every year, often due to small mistakes. And this is not just a problem for the elderly. Accidents, illness and cognitive decline can happen at any age. As consumer finance champion Martin Lewis has pointed out, setting up an LPA is “more important than a will” and he got his in place when he was 35.

The lack of urgency in digitising this process feels dangerously out of sync with the needs of today’s families.

 

Technology Can Solve This, So Why Hasn’t It?

 

We don’t need to reinvent the wheel. A modern digital LPA system, one that incorporates secure ID verification, digital signatures, real-time status tracking and built-in safeguards, would not only reduce rejection rates, but also boost public trust and protect vulnerable individuals from abuse or coercion.

It’s about usability and access. Families need tools that work the way we live today: intuitive, secure and online. Just as we now manage wills, pensions and healthcare online, the ability to handle life planning documents digitally isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.

A streamlined digital system could:

• Reduce NHS strain, by enabling timely decisions and avoiding emergency interventions
• Improve safeguarding, with better monitoring and audit trails
• Save families money, by avoiding costly Court of Protection applications
• Improve public health outcomes, through proactive planning and reduced stress on carers

 

 

A Personal Journey With A National Implication

 

I founded Power of Attorney Online after struggling to arrange an LPA for my father following his dementia diagnosis. What should have been a straightforward process became an emotional, bureaucratic nightmare. That experience drove me to build a platform that simplifies and guides people through the LPA process, in plain English, without the fear of mistakes.

Our platform works alongside the government system, helping users complete LPA forms accurately and affordably, before posting them to the OPG for registration. But it’s still a workaround. What we need is true end-to-end digital reform that transforms how LPAs are created, verified, submitted and accessed.

 

Where Is The Political Will?

 

The government has already acknowledged the need for change. A public consultation on digital LPAs closed in 2022. The Powers of Attorney Bill, which supports digital reform, remains stuck in Parliament four years after being introduced. The intent is there, but the execution is not.

The omission of LPA reform from the most recent Spending Review reveals a lack of joined-up thinking. As our population ages and awareness grows, demand for LPAs is only going to increase. We’re sleepwalking into a legal bottleneck unless action is taken now.

 

A Call To Action

 

We’re calling on the new government to prioritise digital reform of LPAs as a matter of national urgency. This isn’t about replacing lawyers or removing checks, it’s about designing a smarter, safer system that protects families when they need it most.

We also urge startups, legaltech investors and digital service providers to turn their attention to this overlooked space. The potential for positive disruption is huge and the societal impact even bigger.

Because at its core, this issue isn’t just about paperwork. It’s about peace of mind, dignity and the ability to act when our loved ones need us the most. Technology has solved far more complex problems. It’s time we used it to solve this one.