Witness statement for Dudley County Court and Family Court
If your small claim at Dudley County Court and Family Court has been allocated to the small claims track, the Notice of Allocation (Form N157) requires your witness statement and documentary evidence to be filed with the court and served on the other party at least 14 days before the hearing. This page sets out the CPR Part 32 formatting rules, the deadline mechanics, and how exhibits work, using only official rules and government guidance.
What CPR Part 32 requires
Practice Direction 32 sets the format: A4 paper, numbered paragraphs dealing with one matter each, dates and figures written as numbers, documents identified by reference, and exhibits marked and identified. The statement must end with the statement of truth in the CPR 22 wording. The court can exclude evidence that misses these requirements, and a false statement carries contempt risk under CPR 32.14.
The 14-day deadline at Dudley County Court and Family Court
The standard direction is not a target - late evidence risks being excluded and judges expect compliance. Work backwards from your hearing date: draft early, gather exhibits into one indexed bundle, and leave at least 3 working days of margin for email filing problems. File with the court AND serve every other party - filing alone does not count as service.
Checklist
- Hearing date from the listing notice written down, counting back 14 days
- A4, numbered paragraphs, one matter per paragraph (PD 32)
- Dates, amounts and document references as figures
- Exhibits marked (e.g. AB/1) and listed in an exhibit index
- CPR 22 statement of truth wording at the end
- Dated and signed - typed or legibly handwritten
Official sources and related pages
- Full CPR Part 32 formatting rules
- Statement of truth exact wording
- How to organise exhibits and the court bundle
Court details (verified register data)
- Court: Dudley County Court and Family Court
- Address: The Inhedge, Dudley, Dudley, DY1 1RY
- Phone: 0300 123 5577
- Civil filing email: enquiries.dudley.countycourt@justice.gov.uk
- DX: DX 703028 Sheffield 6
- Public counter hours: Monday to Friday
- Document drop-box: Not published in the register - confirm with the court directly
- Hearing format: Not published in the register - confirm with the court directly
- Facilities: disabled access
Source: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/courts/dudley-county-court-and-family-court. Verified 2026-09-04. Always confirm against the official court finder before travelling.
Free national support
- Support Through Court: 0300 081 0000 - free, independent support for litigants without a lawyer
- Citizens Advice consumer service: 0808 223 1133 - consumer disputes, pre-claim guidance
- HMCTS general enquiries: 0300 123 7050 - finding the right court or money claim centre
Filing a witness statement? The Casewright CPR Part 32 Witness Statement & Bundle Builder structures your statement into CPR 32-compliant numbered paragraphs with a correct statement of truth and indexed exhibits - flat £79. This site is independent of Casewright; link is a sponsored referral.
This page is general information about County Court procedure, not legal advice, and it is not provided by HMCTS or any court. Procedures and fees change - always confirm against the official sources linked here before you act.
>Small Claims Court Help is an independent information directory. It is not affiliated with HMCTS, the Ministry of Justice, or any court.
Reviewed by Sean McNamara, 2026-09-04.