INDEPENDENCE DAY - COST TO DIVORCE INCREASES FROM JULY
The 4th July 2013, will see a new Family Proceedings Fees (Amendment) Order that comes into force meaning that there will be a substantial increase in the fees paid to issue a Divorce Petition.
The Government say the intervention is needed as costs to divorce increase, as the current fee only covers 85% of the administration cost to process the documents: In the latest data, shown for 2011/12 the total cost was £594m and the fees recovered only amounted to £477m, seeing a large shortfall of £92m, which is contributing to the UK economy debt.
The summary states “These changes will affect, primarily, individuals pursuing family cases through the Courts and local authorities pursuing public law family proceedings. The fee increases for family proceedings will affect individual users of the service and local authorities who issue care and supervision proceedings.”
Despite the economy benefit, this new legislation will come as a blow to unhappy couples looking to start the divorce process, with Legal Aid funding for Family Law, also having been slashed earlier this year.
From the initial information shared, the increase looks to rise from £340 to £410.
If you are looking to pursue divorce proceedings, we encourage you to contact Vines Legal in the first instance to discuss how we can support you through your separation process in the most cost-effective manner, call the Chesterfield office on 01246 555 610.
The new legislation has been announced on the Government website and can be found by clicking this link http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2013/1407/contents/made
By Claire Clark on 17 Jun 2013, 10:34 AM