The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated its lasting power of attorney (LPA) form guidance, modifying contact numbers for customers who cannot hear or speak on the phone and those calling from outside the UK. The changes affect the contact information provided across the LPA documentation suite, including both financial decisions and health and care decisions forms.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated its guidance for court-appointed deputies in England and Wales. The update includes revised contact centre and international telephone numbers, the addition of relay service information, and updates to the Crown logo and version numbering.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated its guidance for England and Wales on family care payments. The guidance sets out the public guardian’s position on payments made by deputies and attorneys to family members providing care for a person who lacks mental capacity. It covers the legal framework, when Court of Protection approval is or may be required, factors to consider when deciding whether payments are in the person’s best interests and the approach to calculating, reviewing and recording payments.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated its guidance on the legal framework under the Mental Capacity Act 2005 governing when deputies and attorneys acting under a lasting power of attorney or an enduring power of attorney, or appointed by the Court of Protection, may give gifts on behalf of a person lacking capacity, and setting out the action it may take where authority is exceeded. The guidance states that gifts are permitted only in limited circumstances, typically on customary occasions to people connected to the person or to charities they supported, and must be reasonable, affordable and in the person’s best interests; any gift outside these statutory exceptions requires prior approval from the Court of Protection. Deputies and attorneys must first assess whether the person has capacity to decide, involve them as far as possible, and consider their wishes, feelings, financial position, current and future needs, care costs, tax implications and the impact on inheritance, while recognising that lasting powers of attorney, enduring powers of attorney or wills cannot extend statutory gifting powers. Property transfers, loans, transactions involving conflicts of interest and other substantial arrangements generally require court approval, with only limited de minimis exceptions. The OPG may investigate concerns, require repayment, seek removal or suspension, enforce security bonds or refer matters for criminal investigation where unauthorised gifts are made.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has updated users on its current power of attorney (PoA) wait time position, confirming that backlogs and processing delays have now exceeded 12 months due to the impact of the pandemic, increased PoA submission volumes, system limitations with its 25‑year‑old Sigma platform, and rising maintenance demands from 900,000 live cases. OPG states it is taking steps to reduce delays through the phased rollout of its new PAIGE case management system, additional temporary staff and overtime work, while urging users to reserve the expedited registration service, which processed 1,564 PoAs in September 2025, for genuine urgency only as inappropriate requests extend standard wait times.

The Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) has announced that, as of 2 December 2024, the updated processing time for lasting power of attorney (LPA) applications is eight to ten weeks, reducing from 16 weeks. This includes a statutory waiting period of four weeks.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) has launched a public consultation seeking feedback on its draft inclusion framework and pre-action model aimed at improving digital access to justice. The consultation introduces a framework for digital inclusion in civil, family and tribunal proceedings, alongside a pre-action model for online legal services. The framework aims to establish design standards for accessible digital justice services, while the pre-action model sets out guidelines for online legal information and dispute resolution services.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) has launched a consultation on the first Online Procedure Rules to be enacted under the Judicial Review and Courts Act 2022. The proposed Online Procedure (Core Rules and Pilot Schemes) Rules 2026 will govern online proceedings in civil, family, and tribunals jurisdictions. Initially, the rules will cover possession proceedings only, with plans to extend them to all proceedings subject to Online Procedure Rules in the future. The consultation will close on 15 January 2026.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) practice direction supplementing the Online Procedure Rules 2026 (OPR), SI 2026/696, for online County Court possession proceedings has come into force. It took effect on 29 September 2026 alongside the launch of the new Possession Claims digital service, the first court service to operate under the OPR framework. In England, the service initially applies to registered providers of social housing bringing possession claims for social housing in postcode areas served by the County Courts at Bradford, Huddersfield and Wandsworth. In Wales, community landlords bringing possession claims in postcode areas served by Caernarfon County Court will begin using the service from noon on 15 October 2026. Where the OPR and practice direction do not yet deal with a procedural issue, including appeals and enforcement, the relevant Civil Procedure Rules continue to apply.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee has published a draft practice direction setting out the procedures that would apply to online County Court possession proceedings under the Online Procedure Rules 2026 (OPR). The draft, which is for information only, would cover proceedings started by registered providers of social housing in England and community landlords in Wales on or after a date yet to be confirmed in September 2026, where the land is within specified postcode areas and the proceedings would be allocated to an OPR court centre. It sets out how claims would be commenced and managed through the Digital Possession Service, including requirements concerning responses, counterclaims, applications, evidence, hearings, court communications and orders. The OPR, which the draft practice direction supplements and which would take precedence in the event of any inconsistency, have also been published.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) has published a summary of responses to its consultation on the draft Online Procedure (Core Rules and Pilot Schemes) Rules 2026. The consultation received 28 responses from a diverse range of participants, who were broadly supportive of the principles-based framework for online proceedings. However, they provided constructive feedback on several key areas, such as digital inclusion measures, integration with existing procedural frameworks, service and hearing mechanics and transparent governance of pilot schemes. Initially, the new rules will apply only to possession proceedings, with the broader aim of creating accessible and proportionate online processes across civil, family, and tribunals jurisdictions. The OPRC has committed to considering the feedback as it continues to refine the rules and develop the supporting materials prior to publication.

The Online Procedure Rule Committee (OPRC) has published a statement of future priorities, confirming that the online procedure (Rules and Practice Directions) rules 2026 have been laid in Parliament and will come into force on 7 September 2026. The OPRC's immediate priority is the development of a voluntary, non-binding Code of Practice covering inclusion standards, technology and data standards and standards for the responsible and ethical use of artificial intelligence, intended for all digital justice service providers. The Code will be published alongside the OPRC's formal response to its 2025 consultation on the Pre-Action Model and Inclusion Framework. Procedural rules for possession proceedings are expected later in 2026.