New Nightingale courts to open in Wolverhampton and Birmingham to help clear huge backlog of cases

Two additional hearing spaces for crown court cases will open in Wolverhampton, and three hearing rooms will open in Maple House, Corporation Street, Birmingham, the Government has announced.

A venue is expected to be confirmed for the Wolverhampton site in the coming days.

In total 14 new temporary courts will open in an effort to clear a backlog of around 56,000 cases, the majority of which have built up during the coronavirus pandemic.

Twenty-three Nightingale courts are already up and running across the country, including one at Shire Hall in Stafford, which deals with civil and family court cases.

Among the new sites will be a "super courtroom" at Manchester Crown Court, to deal with cases involving multiple defendants being tried together, such as gang murder trials.

Courts will also be set up at The Barbican in London, Manchester's Hilton hotel, as well as sites in Liverpool, Croydon and Chichester.

The Lord Chancellor Robert Buckland, said the courts will help reduce delays and deliver justice for victims.

Battle

"We have achieved an immense amount in our battle to keep justice moving during the pandemic - restarting jury trials before anyone else, turbo-charging the rollout of video technology, bringing magistrates' backlogs down, and opening more courtrooms for jury trials," he said.

"These new courts are the latest step in that effort, and I am determined to minimise delays and ensure justice is served for victims, defendants and the public."

Dominic James, the venues director at etc.venues, which operates Maple House, said: "It is testimony to our Maple House venue that it also been selected, to further assist the Ministry of Justice to reduce the backlog of trials, whilst our core business of providing inspiring space for events, meetings and conferences is suppressed."

The move is part of a £113 million investment to reduce pressures on courts and tribunals, including recruiting 1,600 extra staff, further technology, and on-site safety precautions such as plexiglass screens.

A further £142m is being spent to speed up technological improvements and modernise courtrooms.

Since the start of the pandemic crown court hearings have slowed due to social distancing measures put in place limiting the numbers in court buildings for lawyers, defendants, witnesses and jurors.

Outstanding cases in magistrates' courts have fallen by more 50,000 since the peak last summer and more than 20,000 hearings using remote technology are taking place each week – compared to around 550 in March 2020 – a 4,000 per cent rise.