The employment tribunal system continues to experience rising demand, with increasing numbers of tribunal claims and early conciliation notifications placing pressure on both Acas and the tribunals. As the Employment Rights Act 2025 reforms are implemented over the coming months, further increases in workplace disputes and tribunal claims are anticipated.
Against that backdrop, Acas has published its Annual Report and Accounts for 2025/26, while the Senior President of Tribunals has issued a new Practice Statement expanding the judicial functions that legal officers may carry out within the employment tribunals.
Acas reported receiving more than 150,000 early conciliation notifications during 2025/26, a 27% increase on the previous year. Despite this, it achieved record settlement rates, with 80% of individual conciliation cases and 93% of collective conciliation cases resolving successfully. Acas has responded by recruiting additional conciliators, introducing an Early Contact Team to triage cases and continuing work on AI-assisted dispute resolution. It expects demand to increase further as employment law reforms take effect.
Separately, the new...
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