Following a government consultation on the long-term storage of wills in England and Wales, the Ministry of Justice has announced it will retain all original wills after opposition to their proposed destruction.
While summarising the consultation, the Ministry of Justice concluded: 'In the light of the responses to the consultation and the concerns raised, the government has decided that it will not pursue any reform that involves the destruction of original will documents.’
The decision does effectively shelve any plans for the digitisation of older wills, beyond the current practice of digitising wills submitted since 2021 (or upon request). However, the paper concludes that the government will 'be giving further consideration to the fees charged for copies of wills and grants of probate' to cover the costs of the archive.
Kent FHS and its members made representations against destroying the original wills, so it is with relief that the proposals have been overturned.
Further details of the dropped proposals can be read at The Gazette.