Access To Justice Continues To Take Longer

At the beginning of December 2022, the Ministry of Justice released the latest figures in relation to the number of civil cases that were issued in the County Courts between July and September 2022.

The numbers show that the County Courts continue to remain extremely busy, with nearly 390,000 claims lodged in the courts in that three-month period. Although this figure was 4% down on the corresponding figure from 2021, it still shows an alarmingly high number of cases issued every quarter, and people trying to obtain access to justice.

Of the 390,000 cases issued, 88% (344,000) of them were for money and damages claims. Out of the money claims, 143,000 of the claims were for sums up to £500, and approximately a further 125,000 of the claims were for sums between £500 and £3,000. As such, the majority of claims issued are for relatively low sums.