Closure of Regional Probate Centres

The Ministry of Justice has begun work on closing down regional probate registries and moving them to one location in Birmingham as part of a £1 billion reform programme.

This is all under the banner of ‘modernisation’ and ‘upgrading’ the courts and tribunal service to provide a ‘better service’ for all.

In practice, this will mean the removal of the face to face service and we have no doubt that this will present practical problems for litigants in person as their local regional office closes. At what it often a highly charged and emotional time after the death of a loved one, we believe that litigants in person will no longer have the luxury to become familiar with, or have trust in, those at the probate registry tasked with administering the estate.

Proposals to scrap the current across the board probate fee of £155 and introduce a banded structure, based on the size of the estate, have stalled due to ongoing Brexit-related turmoil.