Beginnings
Tom joined an association in a state of flux and a magistracy verging on crisis. Not long after he started, the Ministry of Justice published figures showing there were only 12,651 sitting magistrates across England and Wales – a decline of almost exactly 50 per cent from the 25,170 who were sitting just nine years earlier, in 2012. As Tom puts it: “There was concern that there might be a long-term hidden intention to allow the magistracy to wither away, replaced by a wholly salaried judiciary. Confidence was fragile and the prevailing mood felt like managed decline.”
And the Association needed a boost too. Bev Higgs was the MA’s National Chair at the time, and was central to the decision to recruit Tom. She says: “The job that lay ahead of us was nothing short of reframing the organisation and the direction of the MA to be fit for the future – every procedure, every policy.”
“The decision to recruit Tom was one of the easiest and best business decisions I have ever made. It was obvious that with his experience and persona that he was going to be absolutely the right person for the role.” Bev’s assessment was quickly proved right, as Val Castell, one of our Deputy Chairs, recalls: “Things had been a bit sticky at times before Tom arrived, but he came in with such a relaxed and good humoured attitude it all changed very quickly.”
Tom’s first year was during the Covid pandemic. Bev said: “Tom and the team brilliantly supported me through all the emergency meetings we attended with the senior judiciary, HMCTS and others. Behind the scenes Tom, Mark Beattie and I had a catch up every two weeks on a Saturday morning to recap and review, to make sure we were on track with all our workstreams. This really helped me because I was in full time work.
“Tom’s patience, unfailing good humour, helpfulness and excellent good counsel were all invaluable to me and the board during my term as Chair and beyond.”
Improving the service for members…
Both during Bev’s tenure as National Chair, and under her successor Mark Beattie (National Chair from October 2022 to October 2025), Tom and his staff team worked tirelessly to create, and deliver on, a new strategy for the Magistrates’ Association and improve what it offered to its members.
A notable success – and still a big hit with hundreds of MA members – was MA learn, the association’s online learning hub, which now boasts more than 220 learning resources for magistrates at all stages of their careers. Tom has also overseen a new website and a much-improved members’ magazine. And that’s not all. As Mark Beattie says:
“Tom led the transformation of the organisation, recruiting new staff, changing the way we attract and retain members, and overseeing a change to our Royal Charter. Externally he worked with the staff team to make the MA credible with the press and media, extending coverage of our views across print, radio and television. He also influenced the contents of the new Sentencing Bill where a number of MA initiatives have now become law. His reach will continue beyond his time with the organisation as the output from the Leveson reviews becomes law and policy.”
… and embracing diversity on the bench
As well as boosting the offer to members and the MA’s advocacy work on behalf of its members, Tom has also been hugely committed to boosting diversity and supporting magistrates from underrepresented groups. Jacqui MacDonald-Davis is one of the MA’s three Deputy Chairs. She says:
“From day one, Tom demonstrated his commitment and passion for the full spectrum of what diversity, inclusion, and equity really means and stands for. He was at the forefront of establishing the MA’s Diversity and inclusion networks and has been open to all ideas, irrespective of how left field they were. I will miss his calming approach to the challenges we faced as an organisation; I think it’s fair to say, he really did put the MA firmly on the judicial map. I shall miss him.”
Tom’s ability to get on with people and work well with them, has stood him in good stead over the past five years. His third and last National Chair is David Ford, who shared memories from the very beginning and the end of Tom’s MA career:
“My first chat with Tom was when he started, and I mentioned the tattoos on his hand that I could see in his photo on the front cover of the magazine. It turned out they weren’t tattoos at all – Tom explained that he’d been painting the day before!
Tom Franklin, c.June 2021. Definitely not a tattoo
“And much more recently, [incoming Chief Executive] Catherine, Tom and I had our first and only joint meeting, late on a Friday afternoon. Although it was the end of a long and busy week, working with me and supporting Catherine’s handover, Tom had plenty of energy to spare – so much in fact, that he told us he was off out later that evening to go clubbing, and wasn’t planning to get home until 10am the next day. Talk about getting ready for retirement!”
Where we are now
Five years after Tom’s first day at the MA, the picture is looking rosier. Magistrate numbers are growing again, up to almost 15,000 and rising, and the government has recently set itself an ambitious target of 21,000 magistrates in post by 2029. Sentencing powers have been extended from six to 12 months (meaning more cases stay in magistrates’ courts) and proposals under discussion in Parliament include an expanded role for magistrates – a far cry from rumours of the end of the magistracy just five years ago.
There may even be movement in the offing on the perennial issue of magistrates’ expenses, with a proposal in the Courts and Tribunals Bill that would take magistrates’ expenses out of primary legislation – making it far easier for ministers to make changes to magistrates’ expenses and removing a big barrier to creating a better expenses system for magistrates.
Any charity Chief Executive needs to have the respect and support of the Board of trustees, and Tom’s relationship with his trustees has always been good. As current trustee and Deputy Chair Sarah Clarke explained: “It has been an absolute pleasure working with Tom. Not only has he been incredibly generous with his knowledge and experience, he has a wonderful curiosity for life, always valuing the opinion of others and wanting to learn from their experience. Underneath his warm exterior there is a passion for standing up for what is right – there is a glint in the eye whenever Tom is about to go on to the radio or TV to talk about the issues we face in the court system.”
Let’s give Tom the last word. As he said in his final article in Magistrate, our member magazine, just last month:
“I want to thank the three National Chairs I have worked with, Bev Higgs, Mark Beattie and David Ford, and the wider board of trustees. It has been a genuine partnership throughout, with each building on the work of those who came before. My thanks also go to the dedicated staff team and to the many hundreds of MA members and volunteers who have engaged, challenged, supported and inspired us over the past five years.
“The magistracy is a very special institution. And the MA is too.”
Thank you, Tom.
