Rotting seagulls and unreliable technology show urgent need for court investment

Rotting seagulls and unreliable technology show urgent need for court investment

The shambolic state of court buildings across England and Wales – including asbestos, mould, inadequate air conditioning, dilapidated toilets, rotting seagulls and cells regularly flooding with excrement – has been laid bare in a new report launched today (25 September).

The Law Society of England and Wales surveyed solicitors on whether the court infrastructure is fit for purpose. The results show where time and money must be invested to maintain a functioning public court system.

Almost two-thirds (63%) of respondents reported experiencing delays in cases being heard in the past 12 months due to the state of the courts. Cases were adjourned, delayed, moved online or transferred to different venues. Clients and victims were left in limbo and denied access to justice with many at risk of losing jobs, facing insecure housing situations and wasting both time and money. A vital public service is being left to stagnate, compounding the harm caused by these delays.

One in five respondents (20%) said the technology in the courts was ‘not at all’ fit for purpose, a 7% increase compared to our 2022 State of the Courts survey.** Reported issues included poor quality remote hearings, software problems and a lack of working plug sockets in both conference rooms and the courts.

Solicitors with a disability were significantly more likely to find the physical state of the courts  ‘not at all fit’ for purpose (45%) compared to those with no disability (25%). This is due to the limited accessibility in court buildings such as an absence of ramps and working lifts.

“The poor state of court buildings across England and Wales is both a contributor to the huge backlog of court cases and an illustration of the woeful lack of investment in our justice system. Government underfunding is denying us, our children and our businesses a vital public service”, said Law Society president Richard Atkinson.

“The backlog in our Crown Courts stands at more than 76,957 cases, while two-thirds of care cases in family courts take longer than the 26-week time limit. There are currently 35,475 open family court cases, according to recent statistics.

“Behind each of these statistics are tens of thousands of adults and children who could be freed from limbo and move forward with their lives if they could have their day in court.

“The report also identifies examples of good practice, which show the positive results that can be achieved when necessary investment is made.

“This could be an easy win for the government, which has rightly recognised the need for capital and sustained investment in the courts but must go further. By targeting investment effectively and applying technology, we can ensure that everyone has access to justice, without unacceptable delays, in courts that are truly fit for purpose.”

Notes to editor

• *Contact the press office for a copy of the report
• **Read our 2022 State of the Courts survey
• “The court had to close early for two days within the last twelve months or so. This was because dead and rotting seagulls were within the roof insulation. The court had to close because maggots were literally raining down onto the lobby.” (South Shields, South Tyneside)
• “There is insufficient video technology in court rooms. The systems are not well supported, often the quality of sound or vision is poor and there is only limited capacity, erratically provided, to play electronic recordings.” (judicial office holder)
• “We couldn’t sit at the Croydon Crown Court as the temperature was too hot in the court room.” (Croydon, South London)
• “The Magistrates` Court has RAAC in the ceiling. Nobody has sought to fix it so the Magistrates` Court has decamped to one half of the Crown Court (the other half occupied by the coroner`s court). If I am not in the one available Court with a dock, I am operating in an office room being used as a Courtroom with a kitchen as my retiring room.” (Harrow, Northwest London)
• “Remote hearings are never helpful in child cases, it makes them seem less serious, it leads to delay and less chance of agreement being reached. People can't use the technology so there are more adjourned hearings.” (East London)