An updated GOV.UK notice from the Central Arbitration Committee states that applications and complaints should, in the first instance, be submitted electronically to enquiries@cac.gov.uk. The page, titled "How to submit applications and complaints to the CAC", was last updated on 22 July 2026 and now provides the clearest current instruction on the entry route for new matters. (gov.uk)
The change is procedural rather than legal in character. GOV.UK’s organisational profile shows that the CAC continues to deal with statutory trade union recognition, disclosure of information for collective bargaining, information and consultation cases, certain disputes connected to European Works Councils and European companies, and voluntary arbitration in collective disputes. (gov.uk)
For users, the immediate effect is a single electronic starting point. That is an inference from the updated notice, but it is a useful one: several CAC routes are form-based, and published guidance says the body will acknowledge a filing, identify the panel members and case manager, and invite the other party to respond. (gov.uk)
Scheme-specific guidance remains important. In the CAC’s information and consultation material, parties are still directed to identify the relevant type of application or complaint, choose the appropriate form and send it to the CAC by post or email; the same guidance also sets out what happens after receipt, including requests for further information, informal resolution meetings and, where necessary, a formal hearing. (gov.uk)
The same enquiries@cac.gov.uk address also appears in the CAC’s separate complaints procedure for concerns about the service itself. That procedure says most complaints should first be raised with the person handling the matter; if that does not resolve the issue, the complaint can be put in writing to Chief Executive Maverlie Tavares, with a further route via an MP to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman if dissatisfaction remains. (gov.uk)
For employers, trade unions, employee representatives and advisers, the administrative message is straightforward. New applications and complaints should now be treated as electronic-first submissions, while parties continue to check the relevant GOV.UK guidance for the correct form, supporting material and next procedural step; the likely effect, inferred from the single intake instruction, is fewer avoidable errors at the point of filing. (gov.uk)