Small claims

An independent evaluation of the in-house small claims mediation pilot at Manchester County Court declared it a success, reporting high satisfaction rates and savings in court time. As a result, 10 small claims mediators were appointed in March 2007 to serve our larger court centres in England and Wales. They will work with judiciary, court staff and small claims parties to explore options for settlement both face-to-face through mediation and over the phone where appropriate, at no cost to the user. Wider roll-out of this service is planned for 2008.