Only 30 Nightingale courtrooms―introduced to help with the backlog during the COVID-19 pandemic―are to be kept in use until March 2023, the government has said
The courts remaining open for another year include seven courtrooms in London at the Barbican, Prospero House and Croydon Jurys Inn, Maple House in Birmingham and Swansea Civic Centre.
However, a further 22 will close, including courts at the Hilton Hotels in Manchester and Liverpool, Crowne Plaza in Chester and the Guildhall, Winchester.
The number of Crown Court cases on hold remains high. There were 59,000 outstanding cases in December 2021, although this represented a drop of 2,000 since numbers peaked last June.
Justice minister James Cartlidge said: ‘Combined with other measures―such as removing the cap on Crown Court sitting days, more use of remote hearings, and increasing magistrate sentencing powers―we are beginning to see the backlog drop so victims can get the speedier justice they deserve.’
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