Court fees set to rise by up to 600% in England and Wales
Published on 4th Mar 2015
On 4 March 2015 the UK Parliament approved increases to court fees in England and Wales, which will come into effect on Monday 9 March 2015, by way of the Civil Proceedings and Family Proceedings Fees (Amendment) Order 2015.
Under the draft Order, the fee for issuing a claim for £10,000 or more will rise to 5% of the sum claimed, up to a maximum of £10,000 (for a claim for £200,000 or more). For a claim of £200,000 this will mean an increase of £8,485 (over 600%). For claims of £300,000 or more, or claims where the value is unspecified, the increase will be £8,080 (an increase of more than 500%).
The Government had indicated its intention to increase court fees in its January 2015 response to a consultation exercise. However, it had previously been expected that the fees increases would not come into force until April 2015.
The Law Society has threatened to issue judicial review proceedings, claiming that the changes will hinder access to justice and leave England and Wales as a less attractive jurisdiction for international disputes.
