The increase, which will cost £34m, was first announced by the government seven months ago, in December 2025. It consists of a 6% rise in trial brief fees, supplemented by other targeted increases.
Kirsty Brimelow KC, Bar chair, welcomed the consultation, published this week, and urged ministers to apply the increase to ongoing as well as future cases.
‘Above all, the system cannot endure where increases only come into effect on cases that complete years in the future,’ she said.
‘They must apply to current cases. We are grateful to the Criminal Legal Aid Advisory Board who have presented to the government the evidence on the need to have a sustainable criminal justice system, and for this step in the right direction by the government.’
The consultation, 'Criminal legal aid: proposals for advocates’ graduated fee scheme reform', published this week, closes on 26 August.
