The Magistrates’ Association – the membership body for magistrates in England and Wales – has welcomed today’s announcement by the Justice Secretary David Lammy, of an additional £247 million funding for the crown and magistrates’ courts – to fund more ‘sitting days’ and enable the courts to operate at maximum capacity, as well as for vital repairs and digital upgrades to court buildings, including investment in new video infrastructure to expand online hearings.
Also announced was a first for justice: a firm, three-year funding settlement, giving the justice system the long-term stability that it needs to plan ahead; new ‘Blitz’ courts in London that will focus on ‘assault on emergency worker’ cases; piloting an AI listing tool for the courts; and expanding the scheme that allows prisoner vans to use bus lanes to speed-up the delivery of defendants to court.
While these measures, the new funding, the longer-term settlement and the focus on magistrates are all welcome – and many are things that the Magistrates’ Association has long called for – the Association has warned that, unless this new funding can adequately tackle two key constraints on magistrates’ court capacity, the government won’t bring down the court backlog quickly enough.
Responding to the announcement, David Ford, National Chair of the Magistrates’ Association said:
“The government’s proposed reforms, sensible use of AI, and the additional funding announced today, are a step in the right direction and a big vote of confidence in magistrates, but to maximise the success of these changes, and so ensure speedier justice, it’s vital that the funding allows more resources to be put into the magistrates’ courts. This is much more than simply boosting the number of sitting days available, but also ensuring we have the people required to deliver them.
“Our members tell us that two big constraints on capacity are the recruitment and retention of magistrates, and the recruitment and retention of legal advisors – without whom magistrates can’t sit. For the reforms to succeed, we need to see two things:
“Firstly, a long-term and strategic plan for the recruitment, retention, training and recognition of magistrates – so that people from all walks of life will want to volunteer as a magistrate and will not be left out of pocket for doing so.
“Secondly, to ensure that there are enough, trained and well-paid legal advisers. Legal advisers are critical, as magistrates cannot hear any cases without them, but all too often, good legal advisers leave our courts for better-paid roles elsewhere in the public sector. If we are serious about unlocking capacity in the magistrates’ courts, there must be investment to ensure that legal adviser roles are sufficiently attractive and competitive.”
