County Court Delays
Significant increases in delays in County Court cases, impacting access to justice and requiring increased resources.
765 items
7 sources
1 inquiry
Strongest theme matches
Mixed across source types and ranked by classifier confidence plus text match strength.
Committee recommendation
100match
#13 - Court backlog delays severely impact victims' mental health and wellbeing, leading to withdrawals.
Written evidence to our inquiry highlighted concerns about the impact on victims, and particularly the serious impact that the backlog can have on victims’ work, family, and mental health and wellbeing.30 Academics from the Justice in COVID–19 for Sexual Abuse and Violence (JiCSAV) project noted that practitioners could provide examples of cases where victims had withdrawn from the...
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
100match
#32 - County Court's continued reliance on paper files causes significant delays and inefficiencies
It is very difficult to understand why the County Court continues to rely on paper files, which need to be shipped around the country at great cost. Paper is a serious cause of the delays in the County Court, caused by a “patchwork” of systems and case reference numbers, and standing at direct odds with the Ministry of...
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
100match
#5 - Develop programme to reduce County Court delays to pre-2015 levels by end of Parliament.
As part of any future review, HMCTS must develop a manageable programme to reduce the delays to pre-2015 levels by the end of this Parliament. (Recommendation, Paragraph 33) 55
Matched on
exact phrase
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
100match
#2 - County Court delays are unacceptable and exacerbated pre-existing trends in the justice system.
‘Justice delayed is justice denied’ has never been more relevant to the work of the County Court: the current level of delays is unacceptable. Whilst we recognise the pandemic significantly contributed to the backlog in cases, the available data clearly shows it only exacerbated existing trends. The rising caseload, and increased delays were in motion before 2020, and...
Matched on
exact phrase
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
99match
#42 - Lack of clear plans to address well-established County Court inefficiencies and delays persists
The causes of the inefficiencies and delays in the County Court are well- established, and openly recognised by Ministers and officials, yet it is unclear how HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), together with the Judiciary and the Ministry of Justice, intends to address them. The recent reviews into both sentencing and the criminal courts, highlight an absence...
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
99match
#41 - County Court functions as a 'Cinderella service' facing systemic delays and reform failures
The County Court is the ‘Cinderella service’ of the justice system in England and Wales. It is beset by delays as a result of a failed attempt at digital reform, recruitment and retention issues, and a complex and dysfunctional “patchwork” of outdated paper-based and digital systems. (Conclusion, Paragraph 157)
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
99match
#10 - Centralisation of County Court operations has devastated justice delivery, causing debilitating delays.
Despite its intended aim of simplifying the operation of the County Court, the centralisation of essential court operations has had a devastating impact on the delivery of justice, entrenching the postcode lottery and results in debilitating delays for all parties. The current methods of contacting a county court do not work. Users cannot find the necessary contact information,...
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
94match
#43 - Launch urgent, comprehensive, root-and-branch review of the County Court by Spring 2026
We recommend an urgent and comprehensive, root-and-branch review of the County Court. This review must be launched by Spring 2026 and encompass recruitment and retention challenges within both the Judiciary and HMCTS, establish a realistic and sustainable plan for future digitisation and capital investment, and explore the future role of artificial intelligence. The overarching goal must be to...
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
92match
#2 - Reduce delayed or postponed serious sexual and violent offence hearings and protect victim support funding.
Long waits for cases to start, delays and the often–last–minute postponement of cases all have a significant impact on the victims of crime, particularly for victims of Rape and Serious Sexual Offences (RASSO) and violent crimes, seriously disrupting their lives, inflicting additional distress on people who have already experienced terrible trauma, and leading many to withdraw from cases....
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
90match
#6 - Block listing negatively impacts court users and undermines trust in the County Court system.
We recognise the role that block listing plays in providing flexibility to the schedule considering the high settlement rate in the County Court. However, we have heard concerns that it negatively impacts court users through financial implications and the increased frustrations of all parties resulting in more people settling as a means to end the cycle of uncertainty....
Matched on
terms: county, court
Committee recommendation
90match
#4 - Clarify required family court capacity and plans to resolve judge and social worker shortages.
Shortages in the number of district judges and social workers are contributing to delays, and to significant regional differences in timeliness of resolving cases. There are wide variations in durations of cases; for example, in December 2024, the average duration for public law cases was 24 weeks in Wales but 53 weeks in London (for private law, it...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
87match
#21 - Case complexity, administrative landscape, and staff shortages contribute to London court delays.
MoJ and HMCTS told us that cases can take longer in London partly because there are more complicated cases, often with international dimensions. There is also a complicated administrative landscape with 33 different local authorities all doing things differently.44 HMCTS and Cafcass added that shortages in district judges and social workers, especially in London and the Southeast, are...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
86match
#16 - Public law cases suffer delays from cancelled hearings and excessive hearing numbers.
In public law, 32% of cases had at least one hearing cancelled on the day, which contributes to delays.27 HMCTS told us that the main reason cases are cancelled or adjourned, in over 25% of cases, is non-compliance with what the judge has ordered parties to do. Sometimes this is about staff capacity; for example, the capacity of...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Victims' Commissioner recommendation
86match
Justice delayed: The impact of the Crown Court backlog on victims, victim services and the criminal justice system
Recommendation: The Crown Prosecution Service monitors, reviews and publishes data on the number of cases discontinued because they no longer meet the public interest test to evaluate the degree to which current procedural delays are impacting their frequency. Related document Justice delayed: The impact of the Crown Court backlog on victims, victim services and the criminal justice system
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
85match
#2 - Forty-Third Report - Reducing the backlog in criminal courts
Victims of rape and serious sexual offences are facing unacceptable delays to justice that compound and extend their suffering and lead to too many cases collapsing. The number of such cases waiting longer than a year has increased by more than 400% since the onset of the pandemic. As victims are made to wait longer for their cases...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
83match
#3 - Fifty-Second Report - Key challenges facing the Ministry of Justice
We have limited confidence in the Ministry’s plans for reducing the backlog in the court system, particularly in criminal courts. The backlog in criminal courts was growing before the pandemic, and many organisations have warned that it could take years to clear the backlog. But the Ministry and HMCT could not tell us what level of outstanding caseload...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
83match
#3 - Improve efficiency in family justice processes and clarify £2 billion social care investment.
There are inefficiencies in systems and processes that worsen experiences and outcomes for children and families, making it harder to achieve best value for money. Around 32% of public law cases have at least one hearing cancelled before the hearing takes place, leading to delays and wasted resources. Not only that, but current processes can lead to errors,...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
82match
#40 - Launch consultation on effectively using AI to improve County Court performance and operations by 2026
The Ministry of Justice must launch a consultation, into how it plans to effectively use AI to improve the performance and operations of the County Court and report its conclusions by the end of 2026. (Recommendation, Paragraph 156) Conclusions on the Work of the County Court
Matched on
terms: county, court
Committee recommendation
82match
#7 - Collect data on listing and settlement rates to minimise County Court over-listing practices.
HMCTS, together with the Judiciary, must work together to collect the necessary data on listing and settlement rates to allow for data-informed listing practices ensuring any over-listing is minimised. (Recommendation, Paragraph 42)
Matched on
terms: county, court
Committee recommendation
82match
#17 - Increasing numbers of unrepresented litigants affect family court efficiency, despite data limitations.
The proportion of cases where neither party was represented in family courts was 39% in 2024, three times that in 2013.31 Many stakeholders who provided written submissions told us that people going through legal disputes without legal representation (litigants in person), often feel overwhelmed by the family court process, including the paperwork and the rules. They also told...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
81match
P-003637 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr V complains that HMCTS staff at the Central London County Court failed to act on his written request to change the hearing date and delayed sending him a copy of the order striking out his claim.
Matched on
terms: county, court, delay
Committee recommendation
80match
#18 - Ministry of Justice struggled to manage planned increase in Crown Court caseload.
MoJ attributed the increasing backlog to a “significant increase” in the rate of new cases as a result of the recruitment of over 20,000 additional police officers since 2019, and to a change in the nature of the caseload to more complex cases.43 MoJ claimed that since the pandemic it has become harder to make accurate forecasts about...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
78match
#20 - Ministry of Justice unable to forecast future Crown Court backlog, expects increase.
At our evidence session in January 2025, MoJ could not tell us what it forecast the backlog would be in 12 months’ time. It told us that it would not be right to predict what the backlog will be in a year’s time, as it does not publish projections, although it said it expected that the backlog would...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
78match
#15 - Family court processes plagued by inefficiencies, poor data quality and administrative errors.
We asked the witnesses what they were going to do to address a range of inefficiencies in family court processes identified by the NAO. For example, poor quality information input by applicants was causing rework and delays, although there was no collective understanding of how often this occurs. The NAO also identified that administrative processes resulted in multiple...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
76match
#33 - Fifteenth Report - The Police Uplift Programme
In our March 2022 report on reducing the backlog in criminal courts, we reported there were 59,928 Crown Court cases awaiting trial in September 2021, increasing from 33,290 cases since March 2019 (an increase of 80%). We concluded that the government was unlikely to succeed in addressing the unacceptable delays victims, witnesses and defendants faced in having cases...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
74match
#19 - Crown Court backlog growing because cases conclude slower than anticipated.
The NAO report found that MoJ regularly models projections of the size of the Crown Court’s outstanding caseload, and has previously used projections from this modelling to inform decision–making on policy development, resource planning and capacity requirements.47 This modelling includes factors such as incoming demand, case complexity, court capacity and court efficiency.48 The NAO also reported that the...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
74match
#12 - Prolonged Crown Court waits, particularly for sex cases, contribute to increased victim attrition.
MoJ acknowledges that long waits in the Crown Court are bad for everyone, including defendants, victims and the system as a whole.25 MoJ noted particular concern for victims of sex cases, which are very complex and often take a long time to conclude.26 In September 2024, there were 11,574 open sexual offence cases in the Crown Court, and...
Matched on
terms: court
PHSO casework decision
74match
P-003156 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr T complains that HMCTS lost his court file for eviction proceedings which went unnoticed for several months, causing delays in removing the tenants from his property.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
70match
#23 - No overall assessment exists for prioritising efforts to reduce family justice delays.
An overall assessment of the drivers of performance is important to support the system to focus on areas most likely to secure improvements. A whole-system approach is needed to deliver outcomes no individual body can achieve alone.50 MoJ told us that capacity, demand, case complexity and productivity all drive the backlogs.51 But no overall assessment has yet been...
Matched on
terms: delay
Committee recommendation
70match
#20 - Significant regional disparities exist in family court case durations, particularly in London.
In some regions, particularly London, children have to wait much longer than in other areas to have their cases concluded.41 In December 2024, the average duration for public law cases was 24 weeks in Wales but 53 weeks in London; and for private law, it was 18 weeks for Wales and 70 weeks for London.42 Family courts in...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
69match
#18 - Forty-Third Report - Reducing the backlog in criminal courts
The Department explained that victims of rape and serious sexual offences had been particularly affected by the pandemic. These difficult and complex cases are more likely to need a jury trial, which need space to accommodate the jury. It was more challenging to hear jury trials during the period when social distancing was in place given the additional...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
69match
#7 - Forty-Third Report - Reducing the backlog in criminal courts
As the backlog has increased, so has the time that defendants, witnesses and victims have waited for their case to be completed. Between March 2020 and June 2021, the 1 C&AG’s Report, Reducing the backlog in criminal courts, Session 2021–22, HC 732, 22 October 2021 2 C&AG’s Report, paras 2, 1.6 3 C&AG’s Report, para 1 4 C&AG’s...
Matched on
terms: court
PHSO casework decision
69match
P-001521 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr E complains about the length of time HMCTS took to process his C100 application which led to a delay in an order being amended. Mr E says this impacted on the contact he had with his children and has affected his mental health.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
69match
P-003061 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr O complains that HMCTS failed to seal an order that was sent to the debtor’s bank. Mr O also says there was a delay in the court correcting this mistake.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
69match
#9 - Fifty-Second Report - Key challenges facing the Ministry of Justice
The pandemic has had a significant impact on the court system, exacerbating an already growing backlog in cases, particularly in the criminal courts. Stakeholders are concerned that it could take years to clear the backlog that has now accumulated. The effects on the lives of defendants, witnesses and victims are acute; we heard from a vulnerable constituent how...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
69match
#18 - Mediation Information Assessment Meeting attendance remains low despite voucher scheme.
Keeping cases out of the courts, where possible, can be less contentious and lead to quicker settlements, saving money and benefiting children.36 Both MoJ and DfE are taking measures to keep more cases out of court that do not need to be there, such as through family group decision- making meetings and through mediation.37 Since 2021, MoJ has...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
68match
#18 - 12th Report: Children and Young People in Custody (Part 1): Entry into the youth justice system
Delays have a fundamental impact on all those involved in proceedings. The Ministry of Justice and HMCTS should set out what is being done to specifically address delays in the youth justice system and manage any existing backlogs. The Ministry should include details on what the current capacity is in the youth courts, and what plans exist to...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
68match
#10 - 3rd Report - The Future of Legal Aid
The Committee’s inquiry on court capacity has focused on the Crown Court where the delays are the most acute. In that context, it is imperative that the criminal legal aid system should be structured to facilitate resolution of cases at the earliest possible stage in the process.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
Committee recommendation
66match
#25 - Remand prisoners face lengthy custody with limited options due to court backlogs
It is right that the remand population should not be mandated to participate in the regime, as they have not been found guilty. However, due to the length of time remand prisoners are in custody for due to the court backlogs, it is not right that they are spending their time languishing with limited options available to them....
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
65match
#19 - Forty-Third Report - Reducing the backlog in criminal courts
The Department explained how the longer victims wait for their case to be heard in court, the greater the risk the victim withdraws their support of the process and the case collapses.34 It told us that the proportion of cases collapsing through victim or witness attrition fell in the last quarter, to 1.2% of cases between April and...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
65match
#8 - Enable litigants to recover wasted costs from HMCTS due to poor court administration.
Litigants must be able to recover the legal, travel, and subsistence costs from HMCTS wasted as a result of over-listing and/or poor court administration preventing their cases from being heard. (Recommendation, Paragraph 43)
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
65match
#10 - MoJ and HMCTS acknowledge numerous backlog issues but are deferring action pending the Leveson Review.
We heard of the many issues that MoJ and HMCTS know need addressing if they are to reduce the backlog, but which they are waiting for the Leveson review to report on: poor case preparation, defendants being absent or not 14 Qq 5, 81 15 Qq 38–39 16 Q 2; C&AG’s Report, para 3.2 17 C&AG’s Report, para...
Matched on
terms: court
Committee recommendation
65match
#25 - Lack of a joined-up data plan hinders understanding of outcomes for children.
We asked MoJ and DfE why the system was not working as well as it should, given that better data sharing should allow improvements, and whether this was evidence of complacency.58 Delays in cases weigh heavily on children, in particular, domestic abuse victims.59 Gaps in the data mean that MoJ and DfE do not have good information on...
Matched on
terms: delay
Committee recommendation
65match
#22 - Overall capacity requirements for the family justice system caseload remain undefined.
The capacity required to manage the caseload efficiently on a timely basis, both at a national level, and in each part of the country, has not been set out.46 MoJ argued that there is more than enough capacity in the system overall to meet demand, on the grounds that backlogs are reducing.47 However HMCTS has taken some measures...
Matched on
terms: delay
PHSO casework decision
65match
P-002330 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr O complains HMCTS made errors when handling an application for divorce made by his wife. He says papers were returned to him twice and he does not believe HMCTS's explanation for the delays.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
65match
P-003194 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Miss A complains that HMCTS delayed drawing an order, the court did not reply to her emails and that her Help with Fees Application was not processed.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
65match
P-003677 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Ms E says HMCTS has not offered her a suitable remedy for a delay in its process which caused her to be issued a CCJ and damaged her credit rating.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
65match
P-004307 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr A complains about HMCTS, on behalf of himself and his wife in relation to an application to obtain the grant of probate for his father’s estate. He says it made a number of errors in the handling of their application which caused a delay in probate being granted.
Matched on
terms: court, delay
PHSO casework decision
65match
P-004317 - HM Courts and Tribunals Service
Mr L complains that HM Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) did not notify him of the hearing date for his civil claim, which resulted in the hearing going ahead without him and his claim being struck out. He also says HMCTS delayed passing on correspondence to him during his request for reconsideration and gave him incorrect information about...
Matched on
terms: court, delay
LGO / SPSO decision
64match
22-010-674 - Devon County Council
Summary: We cannot investigate this complaint about the Council’s responses to Mr X’s arising from his court action against the Council in 2017. This is because the matters raised are inextricably linked to the court case, so we have no remit to intervene.
Matched on
terms: county, court