Gloucestershire's Nightingale Court to remain open for another year
Announcement comes amid efforts to cut case backlogs
Last updated 17th Feb 2024
A handful of nightingale courts will stay open for another year, including one in Gloucestershire, amid efforts to cut case backlogs.
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said nine of the temporary courts set up during the coronavirus pandemic will continue to operate in 2024, with the majority set to hear civil and criminal cases until March next year.
Gloucestershire's Nightingale Court in Cirencester will be joined by others in Birmingham; Blackpool; Chichester, West Sussex; Croydon; London; Swansea in Wales and Telford in Shropshire in remaining open, with 20 rooms in total able to deal with cases.
But extra courts in Maidstone, Kent, and Wolverhampton, in the West Midlands, will close at the end of March because they are no longer needed, the MoJ said.
Nick Emmerson, president of the Law Society of England and Wales, said extra resources to tackle backlogs causing "unacceptable delays" for victims were welcome but warned: "Additional physical capacity alone is not the solution. We know there are already nightingale courts sitting empty due to a lack of judges...
"The most pressing issue is there are not enough lawyers, court staff or judges to cover all the outstanding cases. Long-term investment is needed across the whole criminal justice system to remedy this.
"If no immediate action is taken, courts will be even less able to cope, with potentially damaging consequences for society.
"A significant injection of funding is urgently needed to prevent this collapse."
Justice minister Mike Freer said: "People who break the law must face justice and ensuring these 20 extra courtrooms remain open in 2024 will do just that.
"Crown courts are already dealing with the highest number of cases than at any point since 2019. We want to keep making progress and deliver swifter access to justice."