The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has confirmed that fee increases for prosecution work will apply to hearings in existing and new cases and new or ongoing VHCC (very high-cost cases) from 2 May 2023.
In a letter to Bar leaders last week, the director of public prosecutions and the interim chief executive of the CPS outlined a 15% increase for all CPS rates, including magistrates’ court and youth court fee arrangements, as well as a 10% case uplift for sentence hearings where multiple cases are sentenced on the same day.
Welcoming the news, Bar chair Nick Vineall KC said: ‘The disparity in fees between prosecution and defence had led to a worrying shortage in the availability of prosecutors, with cases across England and Wales being adjourned as a result.’
However, the Law Society is calling for parity for criminal defence solicitors, whose fee increase amounted to an effective 9% rise according to Law Society analysis.
