Call for Woking Magistrates' Court to reopen to reduce large backlog
It has been shut for nearly a decade
Woking Magistrates’ Court could be brought back into use after a decade to cope with a large backlog of criminal cases.
HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) national data shows cases not yet heard in magistrates’ courts are up by a quarter.
Surrey’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) David Munro has raised concerns about the impact on waiting victims and witnesses, as well as defendants denied a swift hearing.
He said: “The problem of delays within the criminal justice system has been exacerbated considerably as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.”
The last available national data shows that on September 20 there were 509,347 outstanding criminal cases in magistrates, a 25% rise on the 407,129 pre-Covid baseline.
He said HMCTS was identifying suitable properties across the country in which to set up temporary court venues, and he has suggested to them that Woking Magistrates is brought back into use.
When it closed nearly ten years ago, most of the magistrates transferred to the Guildford court. The building has been used for an extended coroner’s court since 2015.
Liberal Democrat Councillor Will Forster used last week’s Police and Crime Panel as an opportunity to ask the PCC to lobby the Ministry of Justice about the building.
Cll Forster said he was pleased the authorities were looking at reopening the court, to ‘get justice for victims of crime’.
He said: “Years of cuts have stretched the justice system to breaking point. The Government needs to build a more effective judicial system as we come out of the pandemic, and this should include reopening Woking’s Magistrates’ Court.
“We cannot allow justice delayed, to become justice denied.”
Delays for Crown court are similarly bad across the country, with 48,713 criminal cases waiting to be heard in September, a 24% rise on the 39,331 pre-Covid baseline.
To try to tackle the backlog in Guildford, a portacabin has been set up for jury use, which will allow capacity to increase from two to three trial courts per week.
They are also rebuilding one of the courtrooms to allow five hearings to take place by January 2021.
Mr Munro was concerned about capacity even before the pandemic. He wrote to the Ministry of Justice back in January to say he was worried about the length of time it took to get to trial.
He wrote: “Experiencing this delay can have a very detrimental effect on vulnerable victims and witnesses, as well as defendants.
“In particular, there are consequences for young people, who at the conclusion of their trial may now be over 18 and sentenced as an adult.”
He said he is working with the Sussex PCC and representatives from HMCTS, the Judiciary and the police to review the situation.