Solicitors have warned that local authorities may be deterred from placing vulnerable children into care, following the government’s decision not to scrap the controversial court fees paid by councils in care and supervision cases.

In a ministerial statement last week, justice minister Jonathan Djanogly said the fees, which were due to be abolished from April 2011, would now be retained pending a further review once the family justice review panel has reported next autumn.

In May 2008, the court fees paid by local authorities for care and supervision proceedings rose from £150 to up to £4,825, to reflect the cost to the court more accurately. The move prompted an outcry from family solicitors.

In March 2010, the then justice secretary Jack Straw agreed that the fees would be abolished from April 2011, following an independent review of their impact by Francis Plowden. Plowden’s review, which was undertaken in response to a recommendation in Lord Laming’s review of child protection after the death of Baby P, found that the introduction of the fees could influence whether local authorities initiated proceedings.

Djanogly said: ‘I have carefully considered the decision of the former secretary of state, and believe that there is no justification that these fees should be abolished and as such they will remain.’

He added: ‘Protecting vulnerable children is paramount, and I do not believe that continuing to charge these court fees will place vulnerable children at risk.’

Djanogly said that local authorities have a statutory duty to investigate instances when they suspect a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm, and it would be unlawful for them to take financial considerations into account when making such decisions. He said there was little, if any, empirical evidence to suggest that the fees deterred local authorities from commencing proceedings, noting that the number of applications had risen since 2008.

Law Society chief executive Des Hudson said: ‘No one wants to see another Baby Peter tragedy, but by maintaining these high fees, neglected and at-risk children could be denied the protection of the courts because local authorities cannot afford it.’

Alan Bean, co-chair of the Association of Lawyers for Children, said the move would lead to children suffering detriment.