Proposed SCT changes

The Civil Procedure Rule Committee has today shared details of a consultation exercise relating to the “Proposed Amendment to CPR Part 27 and Practice Direction 27A Deciding Small Claims without a Hearing consultation”.

You can access details of the proposal at the link below. In summary, however, CPRC is consulting on draft amendments to the Small Claims process, following a successful pilot scheme (PD51ZC) which tested resolving small claims on paper without a hearing. The pilot, informed by the Civil Justice Council’s January 2022 report, ran from June 2022 to October 2025 across 6 court centres in England and Wales.

The consultation includes updates to CPR Rule 27 and Practice Direction 27A.  The proposed amendments intend to allow a judge to give directions for a matter to be determined on the papers if deemed appropriate, without the consent of all parties.  Additionally, terminology is modernised for greater clarity, usability and gender neutrality, and outdated references have been removed. Should these changes be adopted, cross-references in rules and forms will be reviewed and updated as needed.

The consultation material comprises:

1. The Cover Sheet - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69f9d4448f3213f7384ecb08/sct-paper-determination-consultation-cover-note.pdf

2. The Proposed Amendments - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69f9d47a903bc40650ede4dd/proposed-amendments-part-27-consultation.pdf

3. Supporting Data - https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/69f9d4a3a40aa2232fede4c7/sct-consultation-supporting-data-evaluation.pdf

If you wish to submit comments, you should send your response (in Word or PDF form) by 22nd June 2026 to CPRCconsultation@justice.gov.uk

The link to the full article is at https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/civil-procedure-rules-committee/about#proposed-amendment-to-cpr-part-27-and-practice-direction-27a-deciding-small-claims-without-a-hearing-consultation