The County Court Rules 1981
These rules substitute for the County Court Rules 1936, as amended, a new code of county court procedure, omitting and shortening obsolete or little used provisions and generally simplifying and modernising the practice of the court. Where appropriate, the procedure is assimilated to that of the High Court, either by incorporating the relevant provisions of the Rules of the Supreme Court or by relying on their application through section 103 of the County Courts Act 1959. The new provisions are arranged in more logical order and several changes of a general character have been made. Except in relation to judicial acts, the term “registrar” is replaced by “proper officer”, which in accordance with the system prevailing in practice, will usually be the chief clerk (Order 1, rule 3). The powers of the registrar are extended, notably by omitting the requirement in some cases for them to be exercised only with the leave of the judge, although where the judge and the registrar have concurrent jurisdiction, the judge will be able to make arrangements for the proper distribution of business between himself and the registrar (Order 50, rule 3). Wherever possible, time limits are standardised; “clear” days and other special modes of calculating time are eliminated by the introduction of a general provision (Order 1, rule 9) for periods of time to be exclusive of the days by reference to which they are fixed. Instead of specifying the forms to be used in county court proceedings, the rules leave them to be prescribed, so far as necessary, by a separate statutory instrument.