GOV.UK says all applications and complaints to the Central Arbitration Committee should first be submitted electronically to enquiries@cac.gov.uk. The notice is titled “How to submit applications and complaints to the CAC”, was first published on 17 March 2020 and was last updated on 17 April 2026, indicating that the instruction remains current as of that date. (gov.uk)
The administrative point matters because the CAC is an independent body with statutory powers rather than a general correspondence channel. On its GOV.UK profile, the committee says it resolves collective disputes in England, Scotland and Wales and handles matters including statutory trade union recognition, disclosure of information for collective bargaining, and applications and complaints related to information and consultation arrangements. (gov.uk)
In Policy Wire terms, this is a procedural clarification rather than a substantive policy development. The published notice identifies the initial route for filing material with the committee, but on the face of the page it does not set out any new legal threshold, revised jurisdiction, or change to the criteria applied by the CAC when considering cases. (gov.uk)
The immediate implication is operational. Employers, trade unions and worker representatives using CAC processes should be prepared to make an initial electronic submission, which is a reasonable reading of the updated GOV.UK instruction directing parties to begin through the published email address. (gov.uk)
The short notice also shows the limits of the update. It provides clarity on where a case should be sent first, but it does not spell out document requirements, acknowledgement times, or any revised timetable for handling applications and complaints, leaving those details to the relevant forms, guidance and case management steps. (gov.uk)
For administrative and policy readers, the value lies in certainty rather than reform. As of 17 April 2026, the government’s published position is that applications and complaints to the CAC should be sent electronically in the first instance to enquiries@cac.gov.uk; beyond that, the notice functions as a filing instruction, not a wider statement of policy change. (gov.uk)