6,000 cases waiting to be heard by magistrates
DERBYSHIRE is facing a severe backlog of court cases, figures have shown, with 6,000 waiting to be heard in Derby and Derbyshire Magistrates’ Courts and 380 in the Crown Courts as of July 2020.
While Derbyshire does not have the highest numbers of police-recorded crime compared to the rest of the East Midlands, it had the highest percentage increase in total recorded crime when comparing the year ending March
2019 with year ending March 2020, according the The Bar Council.
In a paper to the Treasury ahead of the Spending Review, the council writes: “Levelling up is a key Government commitment to help communities, particularly in the Midlands and the North, and to reduce regional inequalities.
“There is an opportunity as part of this strategy to regenerate towns and cities by modernising and investing in courts and tribunals, which are often in the centre of these towns and cities such as Blackpool, Carlisle, Preston, Cardiff and York.”
Despite the large backlog, no Nightingale courts have been opened across the county. The Bar Council says this would not only help deal with crime in the region but also attract investment, provide a confidence boost to the local economy and help people in need to access justice locally.
As part of the levelling up agenda, the Bar Council also urges the Government to make non-means tested legal aid available for all domestic abuse cases and introduce early access to legal advice for social welfare issues.
Chair of the Bar Council, Amanda Pinto QC, said: “Levelling up should focus on people as well as the areas they call home. The Government has a chance right now to help support the most vulnerable in society and balance the scales.
“Many in the North and Midlands are in dire need of early legal advice to help them resolve issues such as housing, debt or unemployment. In the long run, this early advice saves the Government money and resources across several Ministries.
“The sooner we can stop cases snowballing, causing further delays to the court system and cost and misery to the people involved, the better.”