In recent years, an important change has been made to the way civil claims are processed in England and Wales, which will be of interest to those studying and working in litigation.

The County Court Money Claims Centre (CCMCC) in Salford and the County Court Business Centre (CCBC) merged to form a single national unit: the Civil National Business Centre (CNBC). This centre is now responsible for the processing of civil claims.

The Civil National Business Centre is responsible for the administrative stages of many County Court claims. Its role includes issuing claims, processing acknowledgments of service and defences, entering default judgment where appropriate, and dealing with certain post-judgment applications. The centre does not conduct hearings; where judicial involvement or case management is required, matters are transferred to the relevant local County Court hearing centre. This means the CNBC operates as an administrative gateway, while substantive decisions are made by Judges at local courts.

The purpose of the merger was to streamline administration, improve consistency, and provide a more efficient centralised service. Rather than claims being handled across two separate business centres, the CNBC now acts as the main point of processing for civil matters.

In practice, although the change is administrative, aimed at improving efficiency rather than altering procedures, some benefits should flow to users. Bringing the CCMCC and CCBC together into one national centre means claims are handled through a single processing hub. This reduces fragmentation and makes the system easier to navigate, with clearer points of contact.

With one centre applying standardised procedures, users can expect more consistent handling of claims, documentation, and communications. This unified operation helps streamline workflows and reduce duplication of work between centres. In practical terms, this supports more efficient processing and fewer administrative delays.

The merger creating the Civil National Business Centre took place in 2023 as part of wider efforts to modernise and strengthen the administration of civil claims in England and Wales.

Information about the CNBC is included in the updated Civil Litigation course material, available in the Student and Member Area.