Complaints about the Courts

IIf you are unhappy with the service you have received from any of the court’s administrative staff or with a procedural aspect of your case, such as not being given certain information by the court or because you were kept waiting for an unduly long time, you can make a complaint to the Court Service. Before making a complaint, you should make sure you have read a copy of the Court’s Charter that sets out the level of service you can expect to receive when you come to court or deal with the court’s administrative staff. The Charter is available free of charge at all courts.

All courts have a Customer Service Manager and a Court Manager who assist with resolving complaints. You can complain in person and the staff will attempt to resolve the matter on the spot. Alternatively, you can submit a complaint in writing to the Court Manager at the court you have been dealing with. The Court Manager will confirm receipt of your complaint and carry out an investigation. At the end of the investigation you will receive a reply. If the Court Manager upholds your complaint, you will receive an apology and an explanation of how the Court Manager's intends to avoid a repeat of the problem.

If you are not satisfied with the Court Manager's reply, you can write to the Area Director, who will review your complaint and the Court Manager's decision. If after receiving a reply from the Area Director you are still not satisfied, you can write to the Court Service Customer Service Unit. You will need to explain that you have already complained to the Court Manager and the Area Director.

You can contact the Customer Service Unit at:

Customer Service Unit
Her Majesty's Court Service
5th Floor
Clive House
70 Petty France
London
SW1H 9HD
Tel: 0845 456 8770 / 020 7189 2000

Please note that this procedure does not cover complaints about individual lawyers, case decisions or court policy.

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