Work of the County Court

Justice Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 21 Jan 2025 Closed: 22 Apr 2026 Parliament page
This inquiry examines the Work of the County Court amid long-standing concerns over court capacity and resources. It comes as data on the work of the County Court shows the time taken from claim to hearing continues to rise. Read the Call for evidence to find out more about this inquiry .
13 Recommendations
30 Conclusions
1 Report
3 Oral sessions
3 Letters
3 Events
Activity timeline 8 events
9 Dec
2025
Correspondence
17 Oct
2025
Report published
21 Jul
2025
Report published
10 Jun
2025
Correspondence
21 May
2025
Correspondence
8 Apr
2025
Oral evidence
18 Mar
2025
Oral evidence
7 May
2024
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 3 sessions
8 Apr 2025
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Daniel Flury · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Jason Latham · HM Courts and Tribunals Service Sarah Sackman MP · Ministry of Justice Steven Jarman · Ministry of Justice
18 Mar 2025
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Lord Justice Colin Birss · Judiciary of England and Wales Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Vos · Judiciary of England and Wales
7 May 2024
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Dr Natalie Byrom · Faculty of Laws, UCL Elizabeth Gallagher · Temple Garden Chambers Emily Giles · The Hyde Group Matthew Maxwell Scott · The Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO)
Title HC No. Published Items Response
4th Report - Work of the County Court HC 677 21 Jul 2025 43 Response document linked
Recommendations & Conclusions
43 results
1 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Make County Court improvement a key priority for the Ministry of Justice.
The criminal justice system is often the focus of mainstream attention and gets recognition for delivering justice, but with over a million claims each year, and a vast jurisdiction, the County Court is where most citizens and businesses encounter the … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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2 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court delays are unacceptable and exacerbated pre-existing trends in the justice system.
‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ has never been more relevant to the work of the County Court: the current level of delays is unacceptable. Whilst we recognise the pandemic significantly contributed to the backlog in cases, the available data clearly … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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3 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Lack of transparency and data on regional County Court performance hinders effective scrutiny.
The civil justice quarterly statistics do not aid transparency or allow for effective data-led scrutiny into the performances of individual courts. The County Court is known to house significant regional variation across England and Wales yet there is no evidence … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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4 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Collect and publish individual court performance data to address County Court delays and disparities.
HMCTS must collect and publish data on individual court and tribunal performances to allow for the identification of regional disparities, and support investment planning in reducing County Court delays. The data must include the timeliness of pre-trial stages, rates of … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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5 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Develop programme to reduce County Court delays to pre-2015 levels by end of Parliament.
As part of any future review, HMCTS must develop a manageable programme to reduce the delays to pre-2015 levels by the end of this Parliament. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) 55
Ministry of Justice
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6 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Block listing negatively impacts court users and undermines trust in the County Court system.
We recognise the role that block listing plays in providing flexibility to the schedule considering the high settlement rate in the County Court. However, we have heard concerns that it negatively impacts court users through financial implications and the increased … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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7 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Collect data on listing and settlement rates to minimise County Court over-listing practices.
HMCTS, together with the Judiciary, must work together to collect the necessary data on listing and settlement rates to allow for data-informed listing practices ensuring any over-listing is minimised. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Ministry of Justice
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8 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Enable litigants to recover wasted costs from HMCTS due to poor court administration.
Litigants must be able to recover the legal, travel, and subsistence costs from HMCTS wasted as a result of over-listing and/or poor court administration preventing their cases from being heard. (Recommendation, Paragraph 43)
Ministry of Justice
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9 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Facilitate greater use of remote hearings and provide national guidance on their application.
HMCTS, and the Ministry of Justice, must facilitate the greater use of remote hearings, working alongside the Senior Judiciary to provide national guidance outlining when virtual hearings should be used. (Recommendation, Paragraph 44) Contacting the County Court Read more
Ministry of Justice
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10 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Centralisation of County Court operations has devastated justice delivery, causing debilitating delays.
Despite its intended aim of simplifying the operation of the County Court, the centralisation of essential court operations has had a devastating impact on the delivery of justice, entrenching the postcode lottery and results in debilitating delays for all parties. … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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11 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Integrate CNBC with local court systems and introduce allocated claims handlers for claimants.
The CNBC must be integrated with local court case management systems to improve coordination and responsiveness. Allocated claims handlers and a clear point of contact must be introduced to ensure claimants can speak with someone knowledgeable and responsible for their … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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12 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Update the ‘Court and tribunal’ finder with comprehensive county court information and contacts.
‘Court and tribunal’ finder must be updated with up-to-date information about each county court, what type of claims they hear and all essential contact information. (Recommendation, Paragraph 55) 56 Judicial and staff capacity
Ministry of Justice
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13 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Civil judiciary no longer an attractive profession, hindering recruitment of high-performing candidates.
While we welcome the recent introduction of location-based advertising for full-time judicial roles, the civil judiciary is no longer an attractive profession. It is vital more is done to attract high performing candidates to the district-bench. (Conclusion, Paragraph 64) Read more
Ministry of Justice
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14 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Include evaluation of judicial recruitment offer in any County Court review, assessing pay and conditions.
Any review into the County Court must include an evaluation of its judicial recruitment offer. This has to consider pay and progression opportunities, an assessment of the current working conditions, and evaluate the regional recruitment initiatives. (Recommendation, Paragraph 65) Read more
Ministry of Justice
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15 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Unbearable HMCTS staffing crisis impedes County Court support and efficient access to justice.
The Committee would like to pay tribute to the dedication and hard work of frontline staff in the County Court. However, the current staffing crisis in HMCTS is untenable, impeding its ability to support County Court users and ensuring efficient … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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16 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Include in-depth assessment of County Court recruitment and retention crisis in future review.
A future review must include an in-depth assessment of the recruitment and retention crisis of the County Court, extending the existing discussions regarding HMCTS pay scales to include assessments of current and required workload capacities ensuring any additional resource is … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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17 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Litigants-in-person are inadequately supported due to inaccessible language and insufficient data collection.
Despite persistent calls, litigants-in-person are not adequately supported through the court process. The language used in court applications is inaccessible, court procedure is not explained, and there is limited support available. The insufficient data collection on the prevalence of litigants-in- … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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18 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Increase collection and publication of data on litigants-in-person, including claim type and timeliness.
HMCTS must increase the collection and publication of data on litigants-in- person. This needs to include the type of claim, timeliness of issue to trial or settlement, and court location. (Recommendation, Paragraph 86)
Ministry of Justice
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19 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Publish clear and accessible guidance for litigants-in-person explaining claims process and responsibilities.
The Ministry of Justice and Civil Justice Council must publish guidance for litigants-in-person. It needs to explain the claims process, their responsibilities, and the implications of failing to comply with deadlines. This must be written in clear, accessible language and … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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20 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
End chronic capital underfunding for the court estate to prevent further disrepair.
It is unacceptable that the court estate has been allowed to enter such disrepair due to years of capital underfunding. While we welcome the Minister’s acknowledgement of the “chronic” underinvestment within the court estate, this Government must end the cycle … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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21 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
HMCTS fails to recognise importance of court estate condition and lacks transparency on maintenance backlog funding.
We are concerned by HMCTS’ failure to recognise the importance of the condition of the physical estate for both the functioning of courts and the public’s perception of civil justice. We have both seen and heard of unacceptable examples of … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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22 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Publish a detailed breakdown of £220 million capital funding spent on court repairs and maintenance.
We recommend that the Ministry of Justice and HMCTS publish a detailed breakdown of how the £220 million in capital funding was spent between March 2023 and March 2025. The breakdown should include further information as to the type of … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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23 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Collect and publish regular data on the condition of the court estate.
HMCTS must collect and publish regular data on the condition of the court estate. This is imperative to informing preventative repairs. (Recommendation, Paragraph 102)
Ministry of Justice
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24 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Recognised difficulty in retrofitting old court buildings to meet accessibility standards.
We recognise the difficulty in retrofitting old court buildings to meet the required accessibility standards set out in Section 20 of the Equality Act
Ministry of Justice
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25 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Prioritise and deliver accessibility improvements for the court estate with clear targets and budget.
All works to increase accessibility, in all of its aspects, of the court estate must be prioritised and delivered at pace. It is not satisfactory for lift repairs to take months, or for disabled users to be taken through back … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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26 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Introduce standardised process for court staff to proactively engage on user access requirements.
HMCTS must introduce a standardised process by which Court and judicial listing staff proactively engage with court users on any access requirements for litigants, witnesses or legal practitioners prior to listing cases. (Recommendation, Paragraph 112) 58 Digitisation Read more
Ministry of Justice
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27 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court Reform Programme over-ambitious and under-delivered on digital transformation.
The Reform programme was over ambitious and ultimately under-delivered. We acknowledge the diverse range of jurisdictions that fall within the County Court which may have contributed to the challenges the programme faced. However, we are not satisfied with HMCTS’ evidence: … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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28 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Reform programme civil projects insufficiently tested, causing County Court inefficiencies and dual running
The civil projects that were delivered under the Reform programme were not sufficiently tested with practitioners in mind. As a result, the avoidable failures of Reform have led to unacceptable amounts of dual running, with one claim requiring interactions with … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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29 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Co-design all future digital reforms with users and extensively pilot before rollout
All future digital reforms must be co-designed with users and stakeholders and should not be rolled out until they have proven reliable through extensive piloting and testing. (Recommendation, Paragraph 128)
Ministry of Justice
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30 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Review and urgently prioritise digitisation of all descoped work within the Ministry of Justice
The Ministry of Justice must, as a matter of urgency, review all descoped work and prioritise its digitisation. Without this, we are left with an incomplete and inefficient system at significant public expense. (Recommendation, Paragraph 129)
Ministry of Justice
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31 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Introduce a single integrated case management system providing real-time status updates for all cases
A single case management system must be introduced to provide real time status updates for all cases, integrating both Reform and legacy systems. (Recommendation, Paragraph 130)
Ministry of Justice
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32 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court's continued reliance on paper files causes significant delays and inefficiencies
It is very difficult to understand why the County Court continues to rely on paper files, which need to be shipped around the country at great cost. Paper is a serious cause of the delays in the County Court, caused … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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33 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Issue a single reference number for all claims, integrating paper and digital systems
All claims must be issued a single reference number regardless of the “off-ramps and on-ramps” between paper and digital systems. (Recommendation, Paragraph 137)
Ministry of Justice
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34 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Replace postal services for paper files with electronic methods; implement opt-in postal options
Use of postal services for sending paper files must be replaced with email or other electronic methods. Postal options should be an opt-in service as already implemented across multiple Government agencies to effectively mitigate against digital exclusion. (Recommendation, Paragraph 138) Read more
Ministry of Justice
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35 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Enhance existing electronic systems to support uploading of larger documents for all County Court claims
HMCTS must enhance existing electronic systems to support the upload of larger documents for all types of claims heard in the County Court. (Recommendation, Paragraph 139) 59 Other opportunities for reform
Ministry of Justice
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36 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Mediation demonstrates early success as a viable, quicker out-of-court route in County Court
Mediation is a viable out of court route with early signs of success in the County Court. It offers claimants a quicker route to seeking justice, one not beset by delays or missing files. (Conclusion, Paragraph 146)
Ministry of Justice
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37 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Evaluate mandatory mediation deployment in other claim types as part of future County Court reviews
As part of any future review into the County Court, an evaluation of mandatory mediation must be undertaken to understand whether it can be effectively deployed in other claim types. (Recommendation, Paragraph 147)
Ministry of Justice
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38 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Piecemeal digitisation hinders full adoption of digital court processes and AI capabilities
Despite the bold ambitions of the Ministry of Justice, the piecemeal approach that has been taken to digitisation hampers any intentions of adopting a fully digital court process. Existing systems inhibit the early adoption of AI or a move to … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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39 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Prioritise rolling out well-regarded existing digital systems from other jurisdictions for HMCTS
Following the completion of the £1 billion Reform Programme, HMCTS must prioritise the roll out of existing systems from other jurisdictions, such as CE Filing, which are well-regarded by legal professionals. These should not be replaced for the sake of … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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40 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Launch consultation on effectively using AI to improve County Court performance and operations by 2026
The Ministry of Justice must launch a consultation, into how it plans to effectively use AI to improve the performance and operations of the County Court and report its conclusions by the end of 2026. (Recommendation, Paragraph 156) Conclusions on … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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41 Conclusion
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
County Court functions as a 'Cinderella service' facing systemic delays and reform failures
The County Court is the ‘Cinderella service’ of the justice system in England and Wales. It is beset by delays as a result of a failed attempt at digital reform, recruitment and retention issues, and a complex and dysfunctional “patchwork” … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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42 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Lack of clear plans to address well-established County Court inefficiencies and delays persists
The causes of the inefficiencies and delays in the County Court are well- established, and openly recognised by Ministers and officials, yet it is unclear how HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), together with the Judiciary and the Ministry of … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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43 Recommendation
4th Report - Work of the County Co…
Launch urgent, comprehensive, root-and-branch review of the County Court by Spring 2026
We recommend an urgent and comprehensive, root-and-branch review of the County Court. This review must be launched by Spring 2026 and encompass recruitment and retention challenges within both the Judiciary and HMCTS, establish a realistic and sustainable plan for future … Read more
Ministry of Justice
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Correspondence 3 letters
9 Dec 2025 Correspondence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 8 December 2025: HMCTS Capital Estate Investment Spending (April 2023 - March 2025)
Parliament page
10 Jun 2025 Correspondence from Daniel Flury, HMCTS Operations Director, dated 29 May 2025 relating to the oral evidence session held on 8 April 2025
Parliament page
21 May 2025 Correspondence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 15 May 2025 relating to the oral evidence session held on 8 April 2025
Parliament page