Judicial Office sets out plans to tackle backlog in courts
The Judicial Office has committed to an "ambitious, but achievable" plan as part of efforts to tackle court backlogs, boost diversity and inclusion, and support the judiciary in the coming year.
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Writing in the foreword to its business plan 2024-25, Lady Chief Justice Baroness Carr and Senior President of Tribunals Sir Keith Lindblom said: "The conditions across crime, civil, family and tribunals justice remain challenging this year, with large backlogs compounded by resourcing and capacity constraints across key parts of the system."
They wrote that tackling the challenges, and others that may arise this year (and beyond), would require "a cross-system effort".
The LCJ and the Senior President added: "It will be essential for the Judicial Office to continue to deepen its collaboration with the Ministry of Justice, His Majesty's Courts & Tribunals Service (HMCTS), and the many other organisations operating in the justice sector."
In its business plan, the Judicial Office – which is an independent branch of the civil services that supports the judiciary – said it would work on the following three key priorities:
- Recognising and promoting the judiciary's strengths
- Building judicial unity
- Reducing court and tribunal backlogs, improving timeliness and maintaining quality.
Under its plan to handle backlogs, timeliness and quality, the office said it would support the judiciary in working with HMCTS to secure adequate, sustained funding and resourcing for the courts and tribunals, including the estate and staffing.
It also aims to strengthen governance, clarify leadership reporting lines, improve working practices and efficiency, and champion digitisation, modernisation and access to justice.
The document also committed to providing training to meet the needs of a growing judiciary, reflecting legal, societal and technological developments and evolving work practices.
Just last month, the Law Society's president, Nick Emmerson, called on the Government to tackle backlogs in the family court after 2023 figures from the Ministry of Justice showed that 103,676 children had been "trapped" in backlogs.
The Judicial Office set out how it plans to build judicial unity, announcing that it will implement and promote a 'Diversity and Inclusion Strategy' aimed at attracting under-represented groups, "with a particular focus on encouraging and supporting black candidates to apply to become judicial office holders".
It also committed to implementing a judicial health and wellbeing strategy to expand the breadth and improve the efficacy of wellbeing resources and welfare support.
Adam Carey
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