Source · Select Committees · Justice Committee
4th Report - Work of the County Court
Justice Committee
HC 677
Published 21 July 2025
Conclusions (7)
1
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 justice system. It is imperative that the improvement of the …
Government Response Summary
The government vaguely commits to reviewing its civil justice data and considering whether improvements could be made to its publication processes, without directly addressing the recommendation to make County Court improvement a key priority.
3
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 of pro-active measurement of these regional differences, analysis of why …
Government Response Summary
The government agrees on the importance of data-informed listing practices and states that HMCTS is currently exploring the development of predictive analytical tools using machine learning to support better administration of listing.
9
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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
Government Response Summary
The government states it is progressing work by planning to review and restate the County Court operating model and revisit its resource model to align with workload demand and post-Reform ways of working, but does not commit to producing specific national guidance on the use of virtual hearings.
10
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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. The current methods of contacting a county court do not …
Government Response Summary
The government states it already publishes some information on claimant representation status and will review existing court data to consider whether further granular data can be made available.
25
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 entrances in order to access the County Court. Any review …
Government Response Summary
The government stated it is focusing on tangible steps to improve the County Court and highlighted general operational improvements, but it did not commit to specific measurable targets, timelines, or a costed budget for accessibility works as requested.
27
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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: it offered weak justifications and failed to adequately acknowledge the …
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the committee's findings and states that HMCTS has learned lessons from the Reform programme, adjusting and improving its approach to designing future digital services through user research, co-design, piloting, and testing.
28
Conclusion
Acknowledged
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 multiple systems, and further inefficiencies in the County Court. (Conclusion, …
Government Response Summary
The government accepts the committee's findings and confirms that HMCTS has learned from the Reform programme, now adopting an improved approach to designing digital services that includes extensive user research, co-design, piloting, and testing for all future reforms.