Totts

Why the backlog !

Between 2010 & 2024, the Tory government closed 244 courts and tribunals in England and Wales: 43% of the entire court estate!

​Breakdown of Closures (2010–2019)
​The majority of these closures occurred during major reform programs aimed at digitizing the justice system and reducing costs.
​Magistrates' Courts: 162 closed (over 50% of the total).
​County Courts: 90 closed.
​Tribunal Buildings: 18 closed.
​Family Courts: 17 closed.
​Crown Courts: 8 closed
#defendourjuries

Mar 10 at 4:24pmWeb
Show threadHighlandLawyerMar 10
@Geri
On top of that, there's the underfunding of Legal Aid: per the English Law Society, over 1400 Solicitors have left the Duty Solicitor scheme since 2017; 1 in 8 duty schemes are unsustainable & at the point of breaking down; and the median age of a duty Solicitor is 51, because newly qualified Solicitors aren't entering the scheme- since it doesn't pay a living wage.
If there's a shortage of courts to appear in & a shortage of Solicitors to represent accused, of course there'll be delays.
Show threadTottsMar 10
@HighlandLawyer yes, I knew you'd have something of worthwhile value to say xx