header-logo header-logo

21 January 2026
Issue: 8146 / Categories: Legal News , Tribunals , Immigration & asylum , Harassment
printer mail-detail

Lord Justice Dingemans voices concerns on backlogs & abuse

Tackling the backlogs of cases in the tribunals will be a priority this year, Lord Justice Dingemans, senior president of tribunals, has said

In his annual report, published last week, Dingemans LJ expressed concern about ‘rising caseloads’ in a number of chambers, with the Employment Rights Act 2025 and Renters’ Rights Act 2025 ‘likely to increase the workloads’.

Immigration and asylum judges, for example, have faced a ‘substantial increase in workload following a surge of decision-making by the Home Office’ while being subject to ‘unwarranted media commentary’ and ‘abusive language and explicit discriminatory abuse’ in comments below articles.

Home Office plans for a body of assessors to take decisions on asylum appeals, announced in August and scheduled to be in place for some appeals in 2027, have not materialised. Dingemans LJ said: ‘Legislation will be required to effect any changes but there are, as yet, no drafts of any legislative provisions.’

MOVERS & SHAKERS

Freeths—Rachel Crosier

Freeths—Rachel Crosier

Projects and rail practices strengthened by director hire in London

Bird & Bird—Gordon Moir

Bird & Bird—Gordon Moir

London tech and comms team boosted by telecoms and regulatory hires

DWF—Stephen Hickling

DWF—Stephen Hickling

Real estate team in Birmingham welcomes back returning partner

NEWS
The Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 transformed criminal justice. Writing in NLJ this week, Ed Cape of UWE and Matthew Hardcastle and Sandra Paul of Kingsley Napley trace its ‘seismic impact’
Operational resilience is no longer optional. Writing in NLJ this week, Emma Radmore and Michael Lewis of Womble Bond Dickinson explain how UK regulators expect firms to identify ‘important business services’ that could cause ‘intolerable levels of harm’ if disrupted
Criminal juries may be convicting—or acquitting—on a misunderstanding. Writing in NLJ this week Paul McKeown, Adrian Keane and Sally Stares of The City Law School and LSE report troubling survey findings on the meaning of ‘sure’
The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) has narrowly preserved a key weapon in its anti-corruption arsenal. In this week's NLJ, Jonathan Fisher KC of Red Lion Chambers examines Guralp Systems Ltd v SFO, in which the High Court ruled that a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) remained in force despite the company’s failure to disgorge £2m by the stated deadline
As the drip-feed of Epstein disclosures fuels ‘collateral damage’, the rush to cry misconduct in public office may be premature. Writing in NLJ this week, David Locke of Hill Dickinson warns that the offence is no catch-all for political embarrassment. It demands a ‘grave departure’ from proper standards, an ‘abuse of the public’s trust’ and conduct ‘sufficiently serious to warrant criminal punishment’
back-to-top-scroll