It’s important to be aware that the County Court are currently facing backlog, causing a huge delay on case hearings and communications from the court. These delays affect a significant part of Essex including Colchester, Ipswich, Basildon, Southend and more. The courts are immensely understaffed, overworked, and under resourced, and those that are there, are working extremely hard to navigate these issues as quickly as possible. Given the huge delay, resolving matters outside of court is more important than ever. Here are some reasonings from the County Court of why there are delays, and possible changes you can make to minimize these delays.
A message from Chelmsford County Court:
THE COURT IS CURRENTLY WORKING IN ARREARS. YOU SHOULD EXPECT A RESPONSE FROM US IN 15 WORKING DAYS.
If you are getting in touch about an upcoming hearing date or something urgent we will reply as soon as we can. If it is about something else we will try to reply to your email within 15 working days. We may take longer to reply to you.
I WOULD LIKE MY CASE TO BE HEARD REMOTELY RATHER THAN IN PERSON
In order for an in person hearing to be converted to a CVP hearing it will require parties to make a properly evidenced application to the court setting out why they cannot attend in person. Any request without an evidenced application will not be considered and your attendance will be expected.
I AM WAITING FOR A COURT ORDER / APPLICATION / MY CASE TO BE LISTED
We are unable to respond to any emails regarding this. We are working hard to deal with listing hearings and urgent matters. Notification will be sent out in due course. Your patience is appreciated at this time.
HEARING NOTICES
Please note that notices regarding hearings will only be sent to the postal or DX address provided on the Court system, these will not be emailed. Notification will be sent out in due course. Your patience is appreciated at this time.
MY EMAIL HASN’T BEEN RESPONDED TO
The Court is currently working in significant arrears & emails chasing a response to a previous email prevent staff processing other correspondence. Please limit your correspondence to urgent matters only or documents for hearings. We cannot at this time deal with general correspondence and would request that you do not copy the court into correspondence between parties. Most general queries can be answered by checking the GOV.UK website.
GENERAL
Please ensure the subject line of your email includes the correct case number and any applicable hearing date. Please do not submit letters or documents by email if you have already sent hard copies to the court. The court will not print any attachments exceeding 25 pages (50 sides) in accordance with Practice Direction 5B. There is guidance on what the court can accept by email at the following website: https://www.justice.gov.uk/courts/email-guidance%23canfile. If your email does not comply with the guidance therein, it will not be processed.
ISSUING A CLAIM FOR MONEY OR POSSESSION OF PROPERTY – MCOL & PCOL
If you would like to issue a claim for money or property you can do so 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by visiting:
www.moneyclaim.gov.uk or www.possessionclaim.gov.uk
You may be able to save £30 by issuing a claim for possession of property online rather than sending it to the court. The fees for issuing a money claim are also cheaper, with savings ranging from £10 to £105 depending on the sum you are claiming. Applications to suspend an eviction should be submitted to the Court Office in person where possible.
Website links for further help:
- Further up to date information about this county court, can be found by typing in the court name at: https://courttribunalfinder.service.gov.uk/
- Court forms can be obtained from the Justice website (www.justice.gov.uk) or by using to following link: http://hmctsformfinder.justice.gov.uk/HMCTS/FormFinder.do
- For information on court fees download Leaflet ‘EX50 - Civil and Family Court Fees’ from the above link.
Support Through Court
- Are you facing court without a lawyer? Support Through Court can help at all stages of the court process: supportthroughcourt.org/locations/chelmsford/
- Email: chelmsford@supportthroughcourt.org
- Telephone: 0300 400 0141
Or feel free to contact us at Central Law Group CIC:
- Free assistance from lawyers and trained volunteers who can help with Housing Law, Family Law, and a wide range of civil law matters
- Contact Form : https://form.jotform.com/222933774846064
- Telephone: 01245 951 300
