The Magistrates’ Association’s Annual General Meeting, national conference and awards ceremony took place at Lancaster University on Saturday 22 November 2025. We were warmly hosted by the Lancashire branch, who did a fantastic job — including a lively opening reception on Friday evening, where we were welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, Amanda Parker, herself a former magistrate.
Lancaster is the most northerly location to host our national conference in at least 25 years, and it was heartening to see strong representation from branches across the north of England. Janet Brimley, Chair of the Lancashire branch, shared how it had long been an ambition to bring the MA conference to the county — and it was certainly worth the wait.
A special mention goes to Alan Sandham, also from the Lancashire branch, who was attending his 25th consecutive MA conference since his appointment as a magistrate in 2000. Alan has kept a careful record of where each conference has been held, and it’s encouraging to see how, in recent years, the conference has become far more geographically diverse. In the first 14 years of this century, two-thirds of conferences were held in London; in the past ten years, none have been.
A disrupted start — but the show went on
As final preparations were underway on the Friday afternoon, we received news that the entire West Coast Main Line had ground to a halt due to a power failure. Delegates and speakers were stranded on trains or stuck in London, unable to travel north. For a few hours, we weren’t sure whether we’d have an audience — or speakers.
But thanks to the persistence of delegates and presenters (including some who set off again before dawn on Saturday), and the wonders of technology, we were able to bring in some speakers by video link — and the show went on. Around 200 people took part in what turned out to be a hugely successful and stimulating event.
The victims’ voice — and the role of magistrates
Our conference theme this year was “The voice of victims: is the balance right?” This was explored from multiple perspectives — including that of the Lady Chief Justice, Vera Baird KC (former Victims’ Commissioner), and Martin Jones CBE, Chief Inspector of Probation.
Among many excellent contributions, Tracy Sortwell JP, recently retired Chair of the MA’s Family Court Committee, spoke powerfully about how hearing the victim’s voice in the family court often means listening carefully to the voices of children.
Another strong thread running through the day was the pace of change in our courts. The Lady Chief Justice, Senior Presiding Judge, and Courts Minister Sarah Sackman all spoke about the major reforms ahead — from sentencing changes and governance, to a likely shift of more cases from crown courts to magistrates’ courts. The Minister also acknowledged the urgent need to resolve magistrates’ expenses, and to better recognise the vital public service that magistrates provide.
The Senior Presiding Judge spoke warmly about the MA’s role in representing magistrates’ views, and reaffirmed his commitment to ensuring the Association is at the table when key decisions are made.
Unfortunately, one of our keynote speakers, the CEO of Victim Support Katie Kempen, couldn’t attend because of the rail disruption but she has promised to speak at an MA webinar in the near future – watch this space.
A moment of transition
We also marked a moment of transition as Mark Beattie stepped down after three years as National Chair, handing over the conductor’s baton — literally — to David Ford, who becomes the first Chair from Wales in more than half a century.
David outlined his vision for the years ahead: navigating change, strengthening our voice with key decision-makers, and growing our membership to ensure the MA remains strong and sustainable into the next century.
Celebrating our members
The day ended on a high with our national awards ceremony, recognising outstanding contributions by branches and individual members — whether through our Magistrates in the Community programme, branch support and representation, or efforts to recruit and engage members.
We’ll be sharing more about our award winners in a separate post, but it’s always a highlight of the day — and a reminder that the MA is an association for members, by members. It belongs to all of us.
Looking ahead
A huge thank you to everyone who made the conference a success — our volunteers, staff team, speakers, and members. It was both enjoyable and thought-provoking.
As a reminder, our national conference alternates between in-person and online formats to make it accessible to as many members as possible. So next year’s event will be online and free to attend, taking place on Saturday 21 November 2026. Please do mark it in your diary now — more details will follow in the new year.
