The MA's chair, Bev Higgs JP, has written to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) calling for an immediate uplift in the rate of allowance for car travel to take account of record petrol prices, which are leaving many volunteer magistrates out of pocket.
In the letter to the MoJ, she points out that prices at the pumps have hit an average of 160p a litre, which is a 35% increase compared to this time last year. With many magistrates on fixed incomes, this large and sudden increase in costs is causing a significant issue, and hardship for some.
Bev states in the letter:
"We are receiving an increasing flow of communication from our members about the gap between the expenses rate and the new higher rate of fuel, and of course this follows on from the changes last April which had already left many magistrates out of pocket"
While it would not be realistic for expenses allowances to track the frequent movements in actual costs such as fuel, the current step change in fuel costs appears unlikely to be reversed any time soon. The MA has, therefore, suggested that the current rate is revised upwards to make up the difference, if only for a temporary time.
Photo by Dawn McDonald on Unsplash
The MA’s chair, Bev Higgs JP, has written to the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) calling for an immediate uplift in the rate of allowance for car travel to take account of record petrol prices, which are leaving many volunteer magistrates out of pocket.
In the letter to the MoJ, she points out that prices at the pumps have hit an average of 160p a litre, which is a 35% increase compared to this time last year. With many magistrates on fixed incomes, this large and sudden increase in costs is causing a significant issue, and hardship for some.
Bev states in the letter:
“We are receiving an increasing flow of communication from our members about the gap between the expenses rate and the new higher rate of fuel, and of course this follows on from the changes last April which had already left many magistrates out of pocket”
While it would not be realistic for expenses allowances to track the frequent movements in actual costs such as fuel, the current step change in fuel costs appears unlikely to be reversed any time soon. The MA has, therefore, suggested that the current rate is revised upwards to make up the difference, if only for a temporary time.
