Wolverhampton hotel set to remain as Nightingale court for another year

Wolverhampton's Park Hall Hotel & Spa provides two crown court rooms and was converted into a Nightingale court in 2021.

A total of 24 temporary courtrooms in Nightingale Courts across England and Wales, which were set up to boost capacity during the pandemic, will remain open in 2023 to allow more cases to be heard.

The Government is investing £477 million over next three years to tackle the crown court backlog which significantly increased because of the pandemic.

This includes allowing courts to run at full capacity, doubling the sentencing powers of magistrates, and recruiting even more judges.

The number of cases in the backlog fell by almost 800 cases in the last two months of 2022, after barristers ended strike action.

Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Dominic Raab, said: “We are determined to provide the swift justice that victims deserve, and Nightingale courts have a vital role to play as our justice system continues to recover from the unprecedented impact of the pandemic and last year’s strike action.

“The crown court backlog is now falling once again, and the continued use of these courtrooms will help to drive it down even further.”

Nightingale courts were introduced in 2020 when buildings such as sports arenas, hotels, and conference centres were rapidly transformed into courtrooms to provide more space for jury trials in line with social distancing restrictions.

Following their success, the use of temporary courtrooms has continued to provide additional capacity.