Overview
- The Ministry of Justice confirmed former temporary sites in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester will join the permanent estate, adding 11 courtrooms for criminal, family and civil cases.
- The upgrade forms part of wider investment, with £148.5 million for court repairs this year and funding for a record 111,250 Crown Court sitting days.
- A new London Law Courts complex with 18 courtrooms is under construction and scheduled to open in 2027.
- The Crown Court backlog is near 80,000 cases, with official projections indicating it could climb to about 125,000 by the end of the Parliament.
- Ministers are preparing reforms after Sir Brian Leveson’s review, including limiting jury trials in some lower‑level cases, creating single‑judge swift courts and raising magistrates’ sentencing powers to 18 months, as legal and victims’ groups highlight staffing shortages and the Met withdraws court liaison officers.