Courts expansion to deliver speedier justice for victims

Thousands of victims will be spared from interminable delays waiting to see justice done thanks to a significant expansion to the court’s estate. 

Former court buildings in Fleetwood, Telford, Chichester and Cirencester – used as Nightingale Courts since the Covid-19 pandemic – will now become permanent fixtures, ending their temporary status.  

This move secures 11 additional courtrooms across the country where capacity is most needed, covering a mixture of criminal, family and civil cases – tackling the caseload and delivering swifter justice for victims. 

Today’s news comes as the Courts Minister, Sarah Sackman, visited the site of the new London Law Courts – a state-of-the-art building which, when open next year, will act as the benchmark for delivering modern, transparent and speedy justice. 

The building will provide 18 new state-of-the-art courtrooms which can hear Crown, magistrate and civil cases in the heart of London.  

As part of the core estate, these former Nightingale Courts will now qualify for future modernisation and investment. This will allow HMCTS to put money into improving their infrastructure and ensure buildings are suitable for the latest technology – speeding up justice and providing a better experience for all court users. 

Minister for Courts Sarah Sackman KC MP said 

This marks a new chapter for these courts. We’re ending the Nightingale era and making a lasting investment in justice. The permanent courtrooms, as part of our Plan for Change, will help deliver faster justice and give much-needed clarity to victims and the staff who serve them. 

Investment matters, but it isn’t enough on its own. We must deliver bold reforms to put the broken system we inherited – on the brink of collapse – back on sustainable ground.

The move marks the end of the Nightingale courts initiative, which at its peak in July 2021 saw 60 temporary courtrooms operating in hotels, conference centres and office buildings to keep justice moving during the pandemic.   

This year alone, the Government is investing £148.5 million to repair and upgrade courts across England and Wales – tackling longstanding maintenance issues, reducing delays caused by ageing infrastructure, and improving conditions for those who rely on them. 

Alongside investment in the estate, Ministers have also increased funding for Crown Courts to sit a record 111,250 days this financial year. More sitting days means more hearings and faster justice. 

The Deputy Prime Minister has also announced a bold package of reforms to bring down the Crown Court caseload which will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.