The County Courts Jurisdiction Order 1981
This Order raises from £2,000 to £5,000 the jurisdiction of the county courts in actions founded on contract or tort, in actions for money recoverable by statute and in proceedings relating to solicitors' costs under section 69(3) of the Solicitors Act 1974. It raises from £2,000 to £5,000 the jurisdiction of those courts in respect of extortionate credit agreements under section 139 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. It also raises from £15,000 to £30,000 the equity jurisdiction of the county courts; it increases from £1,200 to £3,000 the amount which a plaintiff proceeding in the High Court must recover in order to be entitled to costs on the High Court scale, and from £350 to £600 the amount which such a plaintiff must recover in order to be entitled to any costs. The Order also enables the trial jurisdiction of county court registrars to be raised from £200 to £500.