Plans to further increase court fees should be halted, the Law Society insists.
Previous increases have led to no meaningful improvements it decalred, and the government had not properly considered the potential social impact of any further rises.
The Ministry of Justice recently proposed the removal of current limits on court fees.
Law Society President Andrew Smithers declared:
“There has been no assessment of the impact of increases, just six months ago, of more than 600 per cent. Raising the fees further may render ordinary people’s legal rights meaningless because they simply would not be able to afford to enforce them.”
It was not the business of the ,legal system to generate revenue for the government, he added.
“Our members have told us that the government’s fee increases will stop people being able to bring legitimate cases, particularly people on lower incomes.”
The Society highlighted in particular a planned increase in divorce fees, from £279 to £570.
“It is disappointing that the government is seeking to gain from the misfortune of people who are going through the difficult circumstances of divorce,” the President said.
