The "Hereford Template"

The Hereford Template gets its name from R v Hereford and Worcester Magistrates’ Court ex parte MacRae


When a debtor pays a court fine online to HM Court Service, they get a letter in the post called the "Hereford Template" saying that money paid as a fine has been given a commercial company, possibly to enable the company apportion its fees from the money under a pretense that money is "proceeds of Enforcement".

The law defines proceeds to be money raised from the sale of the debtors goods to pay a debt. It is nothing to do with money paid into court in discharge of a court fine liability.

The Hereford Template further states that a warrant cannot be "withdrawn", but that advice is an error of law.


The Law:

Section 88(8) of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 states:

Withdrawal of warrants of control issued by fines officer

(8)After paragraph 40 insert—

"Withdrawal of warrant of control by fines officer
40A(1)This paragraph applies if, in taking a step specified in a further steps notice or replacement notice, the fines officer has issued a warrant of control for the purpose of recovering the sum due.

(2)The fines officer may withdraw the warrant if—

(a)P remains liable to pay any part of the sum due, and

(b)the fines officer is satisfied that the warrant was issued by mistake, including in particular a mistake made in consequence of the non-disclosure or misrepresentation of a material fact.