Four nightingale courts made permanent in push to cut court backlogs
Four temporary courts set up during the Covid-19 pandemic will be made permanent in an effort to cut court backlogs.
Former court buildings in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester will become part of the estate, providing an extra 11 courtrooms, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said.
Temporary nightingale courts were introduced during the pandemic to provide additional space for hearings, but many were kept open for years.
Data published last month showed the crown court backlog in England and Wales has risen to nearly 80,000 cases in a new record, with trials listed as far ahead as 2030.
MoJ projections suggest the crown court backlog could reach a high estimate of 125,000 by the end of this Parliament under current conditions.
At its peak in July 2021, the nightingale court initiative saw 60 temporary courtrooms operating in hotels, conference centres and office buildings – two courtrooms were even set up at Bolton Wanderers’ home ground.
Minister for courts Sarah Sackman said the move marks the end of the nightingale courts initiative.
“The permanent courtrooms, as part of our Plan for Change, will help deliver faster justice and give much-needed clarity to victims and the staff who serve them,” she said.
“Investment matters, but it isn’t enough on its own. We must deliver bold reforms to put the broken system we inherited – on the brink of collapse – back on sustainable ground.”
The Law Society of England and Wales welcomed the decision, but said there must be enough judges, court staff and lawyers to work on the cases.
Ms Sackman visited the site of the new London Law Courts on Monday which will provide 18 new courtrooms hearing crown, magistrate and civil cases.
Justice Secretary David Lammy has set out plans to reform the courts system following recommendations from a review by Sir Brian Leveson.
This included scrapping jury trials for some cases and creating new swift courts within crown courts for a lone judge to hear cases instead.
Magistrates’ powers will also be increased for them to be able to hand down sentences of up to 18 months’ imprisonment, up from 12 months currently, so they will be able to deal with more cases.
The changes seek to curb victims facing “agonising delays” in the system.
Published: by Radio NewsHub