Costs

It was settled law that the court had the power to depart from an approved or agreed costs budget if it was satisfied that there was good reason to do so. It might, for that purpose, take into consideration all the circumstances of the case and had to place particular emphasis on the function of the budget as imposing a limit on recoverable costs. The primary function of the budget was to ensure that the costs incurred were not only reasonable but proportionate to what was at stake in the proceedings.