Statistics released by the Court service for July to September 2019 show that it took an average of 38.1 weeks between a small claim being issued and the claim going to trial, 3.2 weeks longer than in the same period in the previous year. A sustained period of increasing receipts has increased the time taken to hear civil cases and caused delays to progress cases.
For multi/fast track claims, it took on average 59.4 weeks to reach a trial, 2.8 weeks longer than in July to September 2018 – this has reached the upper limit of the long-term range (52-59 weeks).
We recommend mediation as a quicker more effective way of resolving disputes. To instruct a mediator go to www.promediate.co.uk/who-we-are/find-a-mediator/