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29 September 2020
Diversity, disparity and inclusion

The MA’s response to judicial diversity statistics published in September 2020.

The text reads: media statement

Responding to the latest judicial diversity statistics, John Bache, the National Chair of the Magistrates’ Association said:

“Magistrates must be recruited from all backgrounds and the magistracy should reflect the communities that it serves. There has been some progress made in improving diversity in the magistracy, with the proportion of magistrates who are from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds increasing from eight per cent to 13 per cent since 2014. There is, however, still more to do, particularly to encourage many more young people and people from all social backgrounds to become magistrates.

“This requires a proactive approach that ensures that the role of the magistracy and the benefits of becoming a magistrate are widely understood, and vacancies within the magistracy are advertised to those who might not otherwise be aware of them. At a time when thousands more magistrates need to be recruited, the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) and the court service need to put time, energy and resources into creating a modern, diverse magistracy.”

Diversity and recruitment

As of 1 April 2020, 56 per cent of magistrates in England and Wales were female (the same as last year), 13 per cent were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds (up from 12 per cent last year) and 49 per cent were aged 60 or over (compared to 52 per cent last year). Just over one per cent were aged under 30.

The statistics also show that the total number of magistrates in England and Wales is now 13,177, down by more than half in the last decade. Last year the number given was 14,348, although the guide to the statistics notes that “following a data reconciliation exercise carried out in 2020, it was discovered that previous year’s totals were overstated by as many as 1,000.”

In response to these figures, John Bache said:

“We are now facing a crisis in magistrate numbers. Even before the current Coronavirus pandemic halted recruitment, the number of magistrates had halved in the last decade and there are now simply not enough magistrates to do the work that needs to be done.

“The government now needs to take urgent action to address this alarming and unsustainable slump in magistrate numbers. The MOJ and the court service must invest in a major recruitment drive to recruit thousands more magistrates over the coming years. However, recruitment and training take time and we need more magistrates urgently. To address this, the MOJ should also act now to raise the retirement age of magistrates, to allow magistrates to sit beyond the age of 70.”

New appointments

The statistics show that between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2020, 1,440 people left the magistracy and there were 1,011 new appointments. Of the new appointments, six per cent were under the age of 30 and a further 12.5 per cent were aged 30-39. More than half (58 per cent) were female. Ethnicity data is only available for 76 per cent of new appointments. For those who have their ethnicity recorded, 12 per cent were from Black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds.

Read the full judicial diversity statistics on the GOV.UK website.