Face-to-Face Appeals Restarted?

Hi

Have HMCTS restarted face-to-face appeals?

I’ve had two clients who have been asked to attend a face-to-face appeal without any reason as to why given that most are going ahead by telephone!

One client has an appeal tomorrow and we didn’t even know it was a face-to-face appeal which has left our client in a state of distress as she’s unable to get there (We are thinking about writing a letter of complaint given that this is just one extra thing that HMCTS have screwed up with our client).

Our second client had issues with his phone which will be the reason for their appeal being face-to-face.

Is this happening elsewhere or am I just being unlucky?

Thanks

Adam

Apparently there are a handful going on. The cause list for Birmingham SSCS (which apparently now exists) lists a half dozen in person appeals happening there today.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/first-tier-tribunal-social-security-and-child-support-hearing-lists

P.s. Not sure everyone would agree that you are “unlucky”...

My understanding was that face to face are to take place only in the most exceptional of circumstances and certainly not as the default and not without the appropriate notice. Having attended recent HMCTS online events it was rapidly apparent that the user experience around the UK was very much that some regions see face to face as the default and were doing so even on the day new guidance was issued to say the exact opposite.

It was also the case, and very quickly seized upon by attendees, that HMCTS are in total denial as to where they are at in reality. For example, they suggest that rates of C19 amongst judges broadly reflect those amongst the wider population and thus all is well. In reality of course, the correct statistic would be to look at the rate of C19 amongst those judges asked to conduct face to face rather than the whole population of judges. Anecdotally I am sure several members here will be aware of C19 outbreaks at their local venues which have resulted in temporary closure; alleged deep cleans and so on. Indeed, quite apparent from the chat that at least one if not two venues had to have people step in from national level to shut things down and find out what the heck happened. This is accompanied by all the guff about being able to easily get hold of the risk assessments for each venue and then being told you need an FOI. 

Their control over said events meant that the opportunity to call them out for bare faced lies was limited.

Nevertheless, I think a conversation with your client about whether they would want to proceed and then I’d be on the phone to the contact centre and wanting to speak to a DJ in order to agree whether this goes ahead and in what format. I would accept nothing less than that. A complaint will likely be too little too late.

Update for you - It has now been changed to a telephone hearing although the Tribunal Service didn’t bother telling us!

I’m sure the stress of lockdown and a year-long pandemic has caused our tribunal service to buckle. It’s certainly gotten worse this year, as the Liverpool Regional Centre worked perfectly up until January where every-thing seems to have gone wrong

Ah, of course, you’re subject to the same Muppetry as us. I wouldn’t say it worked perfectly to January but certainly since then much of what has taken place beggars belief.

Writing from Glasgow -

we have had notification on an individual case where a face-to-face hearing was directed (some time ago) that a face-to-face hearing will be scheduled in May or June, but not at the Glasgow city venue (which is the one that would have been expected pre-Covid ..

No other info, just a direction for this one case.