Stafford's Shire Hall to reopen as 'Nightingale' court in bid to clear huge case backlog
A town hall is set to become a 'Nightingale' court to help clear a backlog of thousands of cases caused by the pandemic.
Stafford's Shire Hall will turn back the clock when it opens its doors as a civil and family court on Monday, the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has announced.
The iconic Grade II listed hall on Market Square was originally a courthouse when it opened more than 200 years ago, and still features court rooms and cells.
It has since housed the town's library and a gallery, but closed to the public in 2017 due to funding issues.
According to the MoJ, the site will open as part of the additional courts and tribunals capacity programme, which was initiated due to huge backlogs of cases building up due to Covid restrictions.
It will deal with cases from across the region, helping to boost capacity at Stoke Combined Court by providing an additional two court rooms.
Home Office Minister Chris Philp MP, said: "This will help reduce delays to cases and deliver speedier justice for victims.
"This site is planned to become operational from week commencing January 25."
The UK's courts system has been plunged into turmoil by the pandemic, with the backlog of crown court cases above 54,000 and delayed family court cases estimated to take at least three years to clear.
A number of Nightingale courts opened last summer, including at the former County Court in Telford.
It came after more than half of the country's courts closed at the start of the first lockdown, leading to delays for thousands of cases.
Stafford MP Theo Clarke, who has campaigned for Shire Hall to reopen, said the move was great news for the town.
She said: “I am delighted that the Shire Hall is going to be used as Nightingale Court.
"Grant funding from the Government has helped to get things started and now the use of the historic courts to help with the case backlog caused by the pandemic adds another chapter to the great history of this building.
"I look forward to the Shire Hall doing it’s bit to help our society recover from this dreadful virus."
Council chiefs published a £7 million plan to transform the site into a mixed-use venue in 2019, but have been unable to raise the funds needed to get it off the ground.
Part of it is set to become an enterprise hub at the start of next year after a £1.6m Government grant was secured.
