Committee publication · Correspondence · 23 June 2026
Correspondence from Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, dated 19 June 2026: Amendments to Ministry of Justice Court and Tribunal Fees
From: Justice Committee
Summary
Sarah Sackman KC MP, Minister for Courts and Legal Services, informs the Justice Committee Chair that the Government has laid a negative statutory instrument on 19 June 2026 amending court and tribunal fees. The changes include inflation-based fee increases of 2.6%, exemptions for local authorities under Jade's Law, a tiered fees framework for Property Chamber cases, and a probate application fee increase to £526 to improve cost recovery while maintaining access to justice.
Key findings
- 170 court and tribunal fees increased by 2.6% (CPI-aligned); 27 additional fees increased by accumulated inflation rates where previous changes were below £1 threshold
- Local authorities exempted from court fees when applying under Section 18 of the Victims and Prisoners Act (Jade's Law)
- 80 fees in the Property Chamber's Residential Property Division increased as second tranche of wider tiered fees framework reform
- Probate application fee raised to £526 to align with estimated cost; separate lower fee of £2 introduced for document copies requested concurrently with probate applications
- Implementation delayed from 6 July to 13 July 2026 to allow 21-day Parliamentary and stakeholder review period
Tone
ProceduralTopics
court-feesaccess-to-justicecost-recoveryprobatestatutory-instrument
Key actors
Sarah Sackman KC MP, Andy Slaughter MP, Lord Chancellor, Ministry of Justice, HM Courts and Tribunal Service
Notable line
“The Lord Chancellor has a statutory duty to ensure that access to justice is not denied to anyone seeking a justice outcome, and that HMCTS are sufficiently resourced.”
Key Quotes
“The Lord Chancellor has a statutory duty to ensure that access to justice is not denied to anyone seeking a justice outcome, and that HMCTS are sufficiently resourced.”
“These changes are as follows: • Increase 170 court and tribunal fees by an inflation-based rate of 2.6% as aligned with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the 12 months up to March”
“This measure recognises the additional statutory responsibilities placed on local authorities by Jade's Law and supports its effective implementation.”
“To ensure Parliament, the public and stakeholders have at least 21 days to review the changes, a further statutory instrument, The Court and Tribunal Fees (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Change of coming into force) Order 2026, is being laid to amend the coming into force date for these changes to 13 July.”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗