Five steps to help fix chaos in our courts

News
19 Dec 2022
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Our courts are crumbling, plagued with delays and swamped by a 63,000-case backlog. We’ve published a five-point plan to help the government resolve these problems.
The backlog in our Crown Courts stands at over 63,000 cases, while care cases in the family court on average take 49 weeks to be dealt with.
To see the infographic about this topic, please refer to the live page.

Behind each of these statistics are people caught in limbo, their lives on hold as they await their day in court.

The coronavirus pandemic worsened the courts backlog, but it was not the cause – its origin lies in years of underinvestment.

Our five-point plan to fix the court backlogs

Our legal system is world leading, our court estate should be too.

We’re calling on the government to:

  • invest in buildings and staff
  • properly fund legal aid
  • keep cases out of the courtroom
  • ensure technology is reliable
  • collect better data
To see the infographic about this topic, please refer to the live page.

These recommendations are based on research including a survey with over 500 solicitors, telling us about their day-to-day experiences in courts and tribunals.

Read a summary of our key findings

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