Sackman: Promising progress
The government claimed yesterday that “our reforms are working” after the latest county court statistics showed that delays continued to fall against the backdrop of a rising workload.
Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures for the second quarter of 2025 showed it took a median time of 40.6 weeks between a small claim being issued and the claim going to trial, 2.4 weeks faster than the same period in 2024.
The mean figure dropped more modestly, from 50.5 weeks to 49.2, but both measures have fallen by around 10% since the all-time high in Q3 2023 – 45.1 weeks (median) and 55.7 (mean).
The MoJ said the numbers hid regional variations, with longer waiting times in London and the South-East.
A separate regional breakdown of court delays, sourced by Manchester firm Express Solicitors and also published yesterday, showed that only London improved compared to last year, with delays in the capital falling from an average 411 days in 2023-24 compared to 341 days in 2024-25.
According to the MoJ, for fast/intermediate/multi track claims, it took a median 62 weeks to reach a trial, 5.4 weeks faster than in Q2 2024. The mean was 72.4, 6.6 weeks faster.
These represent even bigger drops since the all-time high for these claims, seen in Q4 2023, of 73.1 weeks (median) and 85.5 (mean).
However, wait times are still significantly longer than they were before the pandemic, which accelerated what was already an upward curve.
Compared to the same period in 2024, county court claims from April to June 2025 were up 23% to 512,000, with an increase in money claims the driver, the highest since Q3 2019.
Judgments were also up 22% (to 292,000) in the quarter, with 93% being default judgments.
Courts minister Sarah Sackman said: “We inherited a courts system in crisis with people stuck in limbo, waiting for their cases to be heard.
“This data shows promising progress. Claims are passing through the county courts more quickly and disputes are being resolved sooner so people can get on with what matters most in their lives.
“This shows our reforms are working. We’re continuing to modernise the civil courts so they can work as efficiently as possible, including recruiting about 1,000 judges and tribunal members this year, funding 74,300 sitting days and holding more remote hearings.”
In July, MPs on the justice select committee described the county court [1] as a “dysfunctional operation that has failed to adequately deliver civil justice across England and Wales” and said it was “not tenable to continue without fundamental reform”.
The MoJ is due to respond to the committee’s findings this month.
Matthew Maxwell-Scott, executive director of the Association of Consumer Support Organisations (ACSO), said: “While some progress appears to be being made, the numbers are still far worse than before the pandemic, let alone a decade ago.
“The rot really set in all the way back in 2008, and so it’s vital that ministers respond positively to the recent justice select committee report. New measures must be brought in to put civil justice properly on the road to recovery after years of neglect.
“We have heard civil court users and other stakeholders tell MPs about delays, low staff morale, bodged IT projects, crumbling buildings and bewildered litigants in person. This helped the committee be crystal clear in identifying the causes of the problems in our civil courts.
“Ministers must now commit to improving things dramatically by the end of this Parliament.”
On the delays data, Damian Bradley, partner at Express Solicitors, said: “A postcode lottery still applies to our civil courts, with the data showing a wide variance in delays from 1,004 days in Hastings, Kent, to 82 days in St Helens.
“If a claimant’s case is transferred to Hastings, they may have to wait almost three years for their case to be heard by a judge, which is simply untenable.
“Overall, and once again, the worst performing courts are those in the South-East. Alongside the appalling picture in Hastings, Canterbury and Medway Court saw delays of more than 800 days each.”