Minister pledges to cut courts backlog as funding agreed to recruit new magistrates

Weighty delays in the crown court process are a “top focus” for the new Lord Chancellor, he insists, as it emerges a record number of victims are waiting more than a year for their case to be heard.

New figures from the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show the backlog continues to soar, with more than 80,000 crown court cases now open - an 87 per cent increase since 2016.

Justice Secretary Alex Norris, appointed Lord Chancellor in July under Andy Burnham's new government, has vowed to tackle the challenge head on.

Speaking to The Yorkshire Post on a visit to Leeds yesterday, he said it "isn't right at all" that some people are waiting two years to see their cases come to court.

"This isn't the justice system that people deserve," he said. "It isn't right at all. That's why we are making important investment and legislative changes.

"It is absolutely top focus for me as a new Lord Chancellor," he added.

"To get those waiting lists down so that people are able to have their day in court and victims and survivors are able to access justice."

Ministers last month pledged £1.5m to help fund the training of 100 more barristers per year in a bid to remove barriers to the legal profession and tackle the backlog of cases.

The Lord Chancellor visited Yorkshire yesterday to launch a new £4m recruitment campaign for magistrates, which he said is critical to addressing the challenge.

The bid aims to see 21,000 magistrates in place by 2028/29, delivering swifter justice and tackling delays, rising from a low of 12,000 by 2022.

Magistrates hear around 95 per cent of all criminal cases, he said, playing a fundamental role in keeping cases moving.

"That lack of capacity has really impacted on access to justice," warned Mr Norris.

At Crown Court level, the new figures show, some 24,000 cases have been waiting more than a year. Of those, more than half are for sexual or violent offences.

Rape cases account for more than 10 per cent.

In a regional breakdown, there are now 10,836 crown court cases waiting to be heard in the North East - a 60 per cent increase on a decade ago.

A quarter of courts nationally have managed to cut their backlog in the latest quarter, including Leeds Crown Court which saw a one per cent drop in the number of open cases.

Bradford, York and Sheffield have all seen slight increases.

In June ministers warned it could take “nearly 300 years” to bring the backlog of cases back to levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic without major reforms to cut jury trials.

But the move is contentious and new Justice Secretary has been urged to abandon the plan.

Law Society of England and Wales president Mark Evans urged the Government to “seize the chance to deliver a long-term, whole-system plan for criminal justice reform”.

Andrew Thomas KC, chairman of the Criminal Bar Association, said the rate the backlog was rising was slowing down but called for “urgent, practical measures which focus on the root causes of delay” for victims, adding: “There is no escaping the need for extra investment”.