The government has had a change of heart on raising divorce fees by 10% after being told higher fees could force couples to remain in unhappy or abusive relationships.
After announcing plans to raise up to £42m extra a year by increasing 202 court fees by 10%, the Ministry of Justice confirmed in a consultation response document published this week that 170 fees will be increased.
Divorce application fees will remain at £593. Consultation respondents raised concerns about the impact of a higher fee on access to justice and particularly on women, as they were more likely to apply for divorce than men. ‘They stated that women tend to face more difficulties when navigating the justice system as they may have caring responsibilities and are statistically more likely to be on lower incomes given the gender pay gap,’ the consultation response says. Read the full article below.