County Courts Act 1984

Places and times of sittings of courts E+W

3 Places and times of sittings. E+W

[F1 (1) Sittings of the county court may be held, and any other business of the county court may be conducted, anywhere in England and Wales.

(1A) Sittings of the county court at any place may be continuous or intermittent or occasional.

(2) Sittings of the county court may be held simultaneously to take any number of different cases in the same place or different places, and the court may adjourn cases from place to place at any time.

(2A) The places at which the county court sits, and the days and times at which it sits in any place, are to be determined in accordance with directions given by the Lord Chancellor after consulting the Lord Chief Justice.]

F2 (3) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F3 (4) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

[F4 (5) The Lord Chief Justice may nominate a judicial office holder (as defined in section 109(4) of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005) to exercise his functions under [F5 this section].]

Textual Amendments

F1 S. 3(1)-(2A) substituted for s. 3(1) (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 2(2); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F2 S. 3(3) omitted (27.4.1997) by 1997 c. 12, s. 10, Sch. 2 para. 2(5); S.I. 1997/841, art. 3(b), 4(e)

F3 S. 3(4) omitted (22.4.2014) by virtue of Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 2(3); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F4 S. 3(5) inserted (3.4.2006) by Constitutional Reform Act 2005 (c. 4), ss. 15(1), 148(1), Sch. 4 para. 162(3); S.I. 2006/1014, art. 2(a), Sch. 1 para. 11(r)

F5 Words in s. 3(5) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 2(4); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

4 Use of public buildings for courts. E+W

(1) Where, in any place in which a [F6 sitting of the county court is to be] held [F7 or a sitting of the family court is held], there is a building, being a town hall, court-house or other public building belonging to any local or other public authority, that building shall, with all necessary rooms, furniture and fittings in it, be used for the purpose of holding [F8 the sitting of] the court, without any charge for rent or other payment, except the reasonable and necessary charges for lighting, heating and cleaning the building when used for that purpose.

(2) Where any such building is used for the purpose of holding [F9 sittings of the county court,] the sittings of the court shall be so arranged as not to interfere with the business of the local or other public authority usually transacted in the building or with any purpose for which the building may be used by virtue of any local Act.

(3) This section shall not apply to any place in which a building was erected before 1st January 1889 for the purpose of holding and carrying on the business of a county court.

Textual Amendments

F6 Words in s. 4(1) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 3(a); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F7 Words in s. 4(1) inserted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 10 para. 65; S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(d) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F8 Words in s. 4(1) inserted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 3(b); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)

F9 Words in s. 4(2) substituted (22.4.2014) by Crime and Courts Act 2013 (c. 22), s. 61(3), Sch. 9 para. 3(c); S.I. 2014/954, art. 2(c) (with art. 3) (with transitional provisions and savings in S.I. 2014/956, arts. 3-11)