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Witness statement for Canterbury Combined Court and Family Court Hearing Centre
If your small claim at Canterbury Combined Court and Family Court Hearing Centre 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 Canterbury Combined Court and Family Court Hearing Centre
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: Canterbury Combined Court and Family Court Hearing Centre
- Address: The Law Courts, Chaucer Road, Canterbury, Canterbury, CT1 1ZA
- Phone: 0300 123 5577 (civil/family); 0300 303 0642 (divorce)
- Civil filing email: [email protected]
- DX: DX 99710 Canterbury 3
- Public counter hours: Monday to Friday - 8am to 6pm
- 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, hearing loop, assistance dogs welcome
Source: https://www.find-court-tribunal.service.gov.uk/courts/canterbury-combined-court-centre. 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 EvidenceCanvas CPR 32 witness statement pack structures your statement into CPR 32-compliant numbered paragraphs with a correct statement of truth and indexed exhibits — the statement pack is 4 credits, the exhibit bundle 1 credit (about £22.25). This site is independent of EvidenceCanvas; 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.