Petitions/Make all court and tribunal transcripts available free of charge
StatusOngoing
Opened5 Feb 2026
Closes
Government responseResponded
Parliamentary debateDebated · 12 May 2026
Milestones 10,000 100,000

Make all court and tribunal transcripts available for free. Currently, fees can reach thousands, creating a "paywall" for justice. All legal records should be public property to help ensure transparency, allow for fair appeals, and support victims. Access to the law should not depend on wealth.

High transcription costs can create a prohibitive paywall for justice. Private companies can charge thousands for transcriptions, which can effectively bar small-claims litigants from pursuing fair appeals or accessing their own trials. Full transcriptions of the longest trials can cost £20k. Access to the law mustn't be a luxury for the wealthy. We ask the Government to end the private-pay model and provide free digital access to all transcripts to help ensure transparency and equality.

204,125Total signatures
Select your constituency →
10,000
100,000

Government response

The Government is already increasing transparency in the courts, including expanding free access to Crown Court sentencing remarks. Going further now would place even more pressure on the system.

Constituency engagement ranking

Rupert Lowe
1Rupert Lowe MP
Great Yarmouth
1,013
Andy MacNae
2Andy MacNae MP
Rossendale and Darwen
549
Jonathan Hinder
3Jonathan Hinder MP
Pendle and Clitheroe
495
Oliver Ryan
4Oliver Ryan MP
Burnley
494
Mr Jonathan Brash
5Mr Jonathan Brash MP
Hartlepool
486
Bridget Phillipson
6Bridget Phillipson MP
Houghton and Sunderland South
485
Jess Asato
7Jess Asato MP
Lowestoft
483
Josh Fenton-Glynn
8Josh Fenton-Glynn MP
Calder Valley
476
Nigel Farage
9Nigel Farage MP
Clacton
474
George Freeman
10George Freeman MP
Mid Norfolk
474