Responding to today’s budget announcement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mark Beattie, national chair of the Magistrates’ Association, said:
“As we have said consistently over the last couple of years, criminal justice has been underfunded for at least the last decade. Today’s budget statement was, once again, a missed opportunity. While the extra money announced is welcome, all parts of the justice system including courts need considerable new investment if justice is to be served fairly and efficiently.
“There are many things that the Treasury could spend its money on, but we want to see investment in four key areas:
- “A ten-year court rebuilding and modernisation programme – requiring significant capital investment – to repair buildings and make courts accessible to disabled people and with the technology required to host remote hearings and enable real-time translation of proceedings.
- “A 10 per cent increase in allocated magistrates’ court sitting days, to deal with the increase in cases and drive down the backlog.
- “Extra funding to recruit more court legal advisers, and to increase salaries for these roles. A legal adviser is needed in every courtroom, otherwise magistrates cannot hear cases. Currently, the shortage of legal advisers means that court sittings are cancelled at short notice.
- “Reforming the expenses system for magistrates so it is fairer and less bureaucratic and so that magistrates aren’t funding the criminal justice system from their own pockets. The expenses system must also enable those with young children to cover their childcare costs while sitting as a magistrate, as well as better meeting the needs of the many magistrates who are self-employed, and to reflect modern working practices, including those who work some or all of the time from home.”