Ministers facing court challenge on ‘unlawful’ bankruptcy fees

The Herald, Saturday, 5 August 2017

Ministers have come under pressure to drop what critics argue are ‘unlawful” state fees imposed on people seeking bankruptcy. Some of the country’s most financially distressed debtors currently have to find at £90 to £200 to access legal protection from their creditors.

Campaigning lawyers from the Govan Law Centre say they believe these fees would fall foul of a UK Supreme Court decision this week outlawing up-front payments for employment tribunals. The centre’s principal solicitor, Mike Dailly, said he believed the fees, which are charged by a quango called the Accountant in Bankruptcy, were in breach of access to justice principles [read the full story in The Herald, Saturday, 5 August 2017).

Ministers facing court challenge on ‘unlawful’ bankruptcy fees