Extended court hours
The Gazette reports the lord chancellor says there is a lot of support for extended hours in the courts - as a survey of hundreds of magistrates suggests the majority would be willing to sit longer days and weekends.
Extended court hours will be introduced this month as part of a series of measures to clear the backlog of cases in the magistrates’ and Crown courts.
Robert Buckland appeared on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, where he discussed how extended hours and the 10 emergency 'Blackstone courts' would help clear the backlog.
Buckland: professions as well as judiciary back measures to tackle court backlog
He said: ‘I want to get all of this effort and energy really channelled to making sure that [serious cases] can be dealt with as soon as possible. There is a lot of support for this from not just the judiciary but the professions as well, and indeed everybody with a deep interest in the criminal justice system.’
The Magistrates’ Association surveyed members on backlog measures, including extended hours. A total of 1,740 magistrates responded - not all replied to every question and the responses assumed the measures were emergency measures, not permanent changes.
