Coronavirus: Ten \'Nightingale Courts\' in England and Wales to open

Coronavirus: Ten 'Nightingale Courts' in England and Wales to open

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Ten temporary courts are being set up to help clear a backlog of hearings caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

The new venues, in England and Wales, include a medieval chamber and the Ministry of Justice's headquarters.

From next week, they will hear civil, family and tribunals work as well as non-custodial crime cases.

Justice Secretary Robert Buckland said the new "Nightingale Courts" would help with "reducing delays and delivering speedier justice for victims".

The introduction of the new courts means there will be more room in current courts for hearings where cells and secure dock facilities are needed, including jury trials where the defendant is in custody.

All 10 will be running next month, with the first court at East Pallant House in Chichester expected to hear cases next week.

The sites are:

Mr Buckland, also the Lord Chancellor, said: "They will help boost capacity across our courts and tribunals - reducing delays and delivering speedier justice for victims.

"But we won't stop there. Together with the judiciary, courts staff and legal sector, I am determined that we must pursue every available option to ensure our courts recover as quickly as possible."

Work will continue to identify more potential locations for temporary courts, the Ministry of Justice said.

Last month, Mr Buckland warned work to clear a backlog in court cases caused by the coronavirus pandemic could continue into next year.

He said at the time that using public buildings as courtrooms could help reduce the caseload.

Almost half of all courts were closed in March 2020, with jury trials paused to help stop the spread of coronavirus. Other hearings were able to take place with the use of remote technology, with the courts prioritising which cases to hear.

Some jury trials in England and Wales resumed in May, after almost two months on hold. Nearly all courts are now open to the public again, with 54 hearing jury trials as of next week.

Data released by the Ministry of Justice in June showed that magistrates' courts faced a backlog of more than 480,000 cases, with the backlog in crown courts standing at about 41,000 cases last month.

Last week, Mr Buckland set out measures including extending court opening hours and continuing to use video calls to hear cases, where appropriate.