I have it in writing from Lord Bellamy KC. ‘The extension of fixed recoverable costs will be implemented in October 2023,’ he wrote on 27 February. The failure to deliver rules as promised last October and then a further postponement of changes next month had led more than a few to think it was all going to be abandoned.
A reprieve has been granted in housing cases. There was genuine concern that those in dire straits would lose all hope of representation in such matters if costs were suppressed by regulations. Last month, the Ministry of Justice confirmed that nothing would change for two years. In fact, the delay will be longer. It might be forever. A general election must take place by 24 January 2025. In all probability it will be before then. As soon as a date is fixed, the civil service enters a period of purdah which means it sits on its hands
