Anyone who has had the misfortune to interact with the courts recently knows there is a huge problem with record-breaking backlogs. The National Audit Office reported last spring that more than one in four cases were waiting at least a year to be heard.
The government has allocated 106,500 crown court sitting days in 2024-25 and hinted at further measures to “continue bringing access to justice for victims” for the next year.
However, this is all a moot point if there are no functioning court buildings. This year, the ceiling fell in at Reading magistrates’ court and a pedestrian was admitted to hospital after being hit by masonry falling from the Old Bailey.
Baroness Carr of Walton-on-the-Hill, the lady chief justice, has highlighted statistics that show maintenance issues cause 100 “unplanned courtroom closures every week” and “200 near-closures” every month. This is bad enough, but for the UK’s disabled population, dilapidated buildings and case backlogs are almost secondary — because they often cannot get into the courts in the first place.
In 2020, my law firm conducted research into the accessibility of Britain’s civil and criminal courthouses and found only 2 per cent were fully accessible, with 84 per cent found not to be fully accessible for wheelchair users. Only 22 per cent of courthouses offered witness care services such as a secure witness suite, access to the Citizens Advice Witness Service, a vulnerable witness waiting area separate from the public waiting area, or a quiet room for people with anxiety and other mental health issues.
With 16.1 million disabled people across the UK, investment in court accessibility is not just necessary, but urgent.
Lawyers see first-hand the trauma clients go through before attending court, whether they have recently suffered significant injury, or have come to terms with historic abuse for which they have summoned tremendous courage to seek redress. Being made uncomfortable in court because the buildings are not properly equipped adds an extra sense of discomfort, making an already distressing time even more difficult.
We also see that information on official websites such as the court or tribunal finder is not always accurate, causing more stress. It is vital that accessibility information on these sites is accurate and as complete as possible to make things more straightforward for court users.
In 2023, the lord chancellor announced the relaunch of the Disability Contact Officer network and £220 million to modernise the courts. However, this is a mere sticking plaster for the problem.
The state of the courts is steadily deteriorating and the fact that the autumn budget failed to set aside any money for court renovation is a huge failing. The UK’s growing disabled population deserves better.
Jonathan Wheeler is the managing partner of the law firm Bolt Burdon Kemp
